Beneath The Snow
by WhenDreamsAndRealityCollide
Summary: "I sink onto the toilet seat and sob, wondering, 'will this even be enough to bring my wayward husband home to us' A short tale of a Christmas wish, but can it be done in time for Christmas? All human. BxE Daddyward & Mommella. Fluff and minor angst
1. No Place Like Home For The Holidays

**BPOV**

I sighed and sank into the chair at the kitchen table with a smile on my face. _Christmas_. It had always been my favourite time of year when I was a little girl, and it hadn't changed throughout my youth. Especially when Mom and Dad split up the year I turned seven and it became one of the few times they'd both be in one place so I could spend the holiday with both of them. It was a testament to their love for me that they managed to keep on good terms and put aside their differences so I could have both my parents on the what I'd always thought of as the best holiday of the year.

The time on the oven beeped so I hopped up, removed the lasagne from the oven and set it on the side so I could slice the garlic bread and call for my Dad, Charle, to round up the kids. Moments later he strolled in with two children hanging from his legs and one babbling against his chest, another trailing behind with his games console in his hands and eyes trained on the screen. "Sam, put that back in the living room please, you know the rules." I warned, plating up six portions. My ten year old son huffed but turned and immediately did as he was told, returning quickly so he could scramble into the seat beside Charlie.

I could feel Dad's eyes on my as I sorted the meal out but sometimes it's easier to wait with him until he comes out with whatever he has to say. He's never been outwardly comfortable with expressing his emotions, and I suppose in some ways I get that from him. "You know, Bells, you could have ordered take-out. I know you're busy getting things ready for Edwar-"

"Dad, don't worry, seriously." I shoot him a grin and hastily switch off the oven, hand out the plates making sure to save the princess one for last and sit down inbetween Sam and the high-chair that holds my youngest daughter. As I blow mouthfuls to cool them down for MacKenzie she bangs her little fists on the tray, making everyone laugh around their food.

"As long as you're sure." Charlie inhales deeply -earning a snicker from Sam- as I roll my eyes; men and their stomachs. "It sure smells good. Your cooking always does, Bells."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Momma, Lizzie's digging her elbelow into my awm!" Jacob whined, his four year old speech almost making me laugh adoringly. Experience with his embarrassment and temper on the subject had taught me not to acknowledge it at all unless he did first.

My eyes turned from MacKenzie to my seven year old daughter, "Lizzie..."

"I did not." She huffed, green eyes shooting daggers at her brother as she stabbed at her food.

Jake's mouth opened wide in indignation, "she _so_ did! Tell Momma, Gwandpa!" Charlie waved his free hand and shook his head, mouth full of lasagne.

"Sorry kiddo, I'm not sayin' nothin'." He mumbled when his mouth was free, shovelling more in to keep his mouth busy. _Take deep breaths, Bella. That's it. Breath. He'll be home in a few hours and then everything will be fine._

"Elizabeth, Jacob, please, just eat your dinner and stop misbehaving. Do you want Santa to come or not? Because he only comes if you're good." My Dad and I had to try had to stop ourselves from laughing at the synchronised widening of their emerald eyes, but unfortunately Sam has no such qualms. After all, he doesn't believe in Santa anymore; he informed me matter-of-factly a few days ago.

"Santa isn't even-" Charlie clapped his hand over Sam's mouth before he could say any more and shot him a warning glance. Sam's chocolate eyes -my eyes- rolled before he nodded, and then continued to eat in silence for the rest of the meal. I tried to feed MacKenzie without making an enormous mess of her clothes and myself, and eat my own meal, but failed as per usual. I suppose a mess is inevitable with an eleven month old. Lizzie and Jake pestered each other until I had to threaten them both with restriction and even then they were slyly annoying each other. Thankfully Sam didn't throw any more of his snide remarks out there, but I noticed that he was quieter than usual and he was picking at his food which was really unlike him. I put it down to missing his Dad and thanked every deity I could think of that he'd be home late tonight in time for Christmas Eve in two days.

Eventually the kids finished eating so I sent them to play in the living room whilst I washed up MacKenzie and tucked her into bed in her fairytale themed room, courtesy of my interior designing mother-in-law, Esme Cullen, and then hurried back to the kitchen to help Charlie clean up the dishes. When I got there he was just drying his hands on a dish towel and all the cleaning was done except for the high-chair. I grabbed a cloth and the special cleaner and set to work scrubbing the orangey mess off the white plastic tray. "Here, let me do that Bells." Charlie gently took the cloth and pushed me into a chair before taking over. I took a deep breath.

"Thanks, Dad." He nodded. "Sam's upset." He hesitated, and then nodded again. "Do you think it's because Edward's not here? He'll be home tonight so then he'll be fine but I just can't help but feel like it's something else. All of the kids have been so..." I trailed off, trying to pick the right word to describe the kids' behaviour recently. They'd all been grumpy and argumentative, picking fights with each other and me over stupid things they'd usually just let fly straight over their heads. It was Christmas, I wanted them to be happy, excited and looking forward to the festivities and presents piled under the tree.

"Forlorn." Dad supplied suddenly, hitting the nail right on the head. "Bells, it's only natural they're missing Edward when he's away, especially now when it's so close to Christmas."

"I guess." My mood brightened slightly when I recalled Edward's promise from last night. "He said he'd call tonight, around six thirty, so he can speak to them before he gets on the plane. That'll help, won't it?" Charlie nodded but he looked as though he had something else to say so I waited patiently. After a few moments he shook his head and smile, his moustache twitching.

"Well, thanks for dinner, Bells." Ok, so he decided against whatever he was going to say. "I'd better hit the road. Can I go up and say bye to Kenzers?"

"Dad!" I groaned, hating the nickname all the males in my damily had adopted for my little princess. Edward had started it but Charlie, my father-in-Law Carlisle, step brother Seth and step father Phil had all followed in his footsteps. She giggled and batted her lashes whenever they called her Kenzers, but it made me wince. "Sure, just try not to wake her." With a chuckle and a nod he made his way off up the stairs and I went to join Sam, Jake and Lizzie in the living room. What I found made me gasp and groan simultaneously.

Sam was standing on the sofa with a familiar beige book -a photo album- in one hand held high above his head and Lizzie and Jake were jumping up and down, trying to reach it. At ten years old Sam had inherited his Dad's height and he was far taller than his younger brother and sister, which he was currently using to his full advantage. "Lemme see it, Sam!" Jake cried, tugging on his shirt.

"I want a look now, I want a look!" Lizzie cried unhappily, whining as she pulled at his arm.

"Get lost." Sam grumbled angrily, the book clutched tight in his hand. The lights on our seven foot tree -I let the men pick it _one year _and that's what they came back with- twinkled and I could see the fierce glow in my son's brown eyes as he glared at his younger silings. _What is going on with him? _He's turned into a completely different kid recently and it made my heart hurt. What was making my son so unhappy that he'd be mean to Lizzie and Jake, whom he loved dearly? Festive music played in the background as I watched the tiff between my oldest three children play out, hoping they'd resolve it by themselves as they did so often.

_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go..._

Suddenly, three things happened at once that made my eyes widen. Lizzie threw herself off the sofa and charged into the conservatory, a loud wail trailing behind her. Jake his his brother in the stomach with a grunt of annoyance, but even that wasn't what shocked me most. Sam grabbed Jake's soccer shirt collar and shoved him, hard, off the red sofa Edward and I had picked out together in the spring. Jake cried out as his body landed awkwardly on the floor and I rushed straight to him, scooping him into my arms and holding his body to my chest as my gaze flew up to Sam. His eyes had lost all the fight and he stared back at me, his face terrified and stunned at what he'd done.

"Samuel Anthony Cullen, what do you think you're doing?" My voice was startlingly shrill and he cringed as his arm lowered to his side; his fingers turned white where he gripped the book.

He shrugged slowly.

"I hate you." Jake whimpered, snuggling his face into my neck and clutching at me sweater.  
>"Are you all right, Jakey?" I ask quietly, running my hand through his hair, the exact same shade as mine. I took a deep breath and tried to center myself, my emotions running wild at this dramatic turn of events.<p>

"No. Sam won't let me look at the pit-char book."

"Why not?" Sam hung his head, not even looking at me as I addressed him.

"I...looking...it."

My brow tightened, "what was that?"

"I said, I was looking at it." He huffed, some of his agitation returning as he stepped off the seat and back onto the carpet. "Is that a capital crime?"

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Samuel. I don't know what's going on here but I certainly don't like it and neither will your Dad when he gets back here." Sam scowled. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, is he even coming back?" My back straightened and my eyes tightened further at his tone. He sounded far too mature for his age but the fear laced through his sarcastically spoken words made me ache to hold him in my arms, made me remember holding him for hours through the night when he was sick with colic and only weeks old.

"Of course he's coming back! He'll be here before you get up in the morning. You know that, Sam, what's going on with you?" His dark eyes were suddenly staring right into mine and they made my heart sting for my husband, away on the other side of the country finishing up what he assured me was 'a lucrative deal'.

"Nothing. Nothing is ever going on with me. It's always Lizzie or Jake or Kenzers, it's never _me_, Mom! Never! Dad is always away and he misses all my games, even Jake's! He promised he'd take me to a Cubs game for my birthday and he never has. He said we could make a cake instead 'cause he had to work and then he let Lizzie and Jake do it when I was at baseball practice. Where was he on your birthday, Mom? New York. Where was he when Kenzers crawled for the first time in my room and scared me so bad I screamed? New Jersey or something. Where was he when you were so ill Grandpa had to come stay with us for three weeks so we could go to school? Oh, California! He's _never here_! You always say family and love are the most important things but _he _doesn't think so! He never does. I'm sick of it! I'm sick of his stupid job! I'm sick of him never bein' here for us and you and I'm sick of this _stupid _family! He doesn't love us and I hope he never comes back! _Ever_!" Throughout his tirade tears began to silently run down my cheeks and into Jake's hair as he burrowed into my neck. Sam threw the book onto the sofa and ran up the stairs, probably to hide in his bedroom, and a strangled cry left my lips as I pressed my cheek to Jake's head and closed my eyes tight.

Oh my _God_. He really thinks all of that? He thinks Edward doesn't love them? And he doesn't want him to come back? Sam's only a kid, ten years old, so most of that is just exaggeration because I know he loves his Dad and misses him terribly, but I never realised that he believed all those things. My heart felt cripped with pain as I suddenly understood what had been making my children so sad for all these weeks. They thought their Dad didn't love them.

"Jakey, are you all right?" I asked quietly when I'd finally got myself under some modicum of control. Wiping my tears away I forced a smile for Jake when he pulled back and sat on his folded knees, like I was. He sniffled and whiped his eyes with his balled up hands.

"Yeah." He frowned adorably. "Momma, pwease don't cry. Sam 'idn't mean dose things."

"It's ok, sweetie, I know. Please can you go and make sure Lizzie's ok? I'll come and check on you in a minute. Your Dad's going to phone soon so I'll bring it in to you so you guys can talk to him, all right?" He grinned a toothy smile and nodded as he stood. He took a few steps towards the door before spinning round, kissing me on the cheeks and dashing off after his sister.

"Bells? What was all that shouting and slamming doors...oh, jeez, are you ok? What happened?" Charlie dashed into the room and knelt infront of me, his concerned brown eyes making my own fill with tears all over again.

"Oh Dad..." a sob broke loose and I wiped my tears with my sleeve only for more to replace them quickly. "The kids...they alll think Edward doesn't love them. They're so hurt, Dad, I don't know how to help them..." remembering Sam's parting comment another loud sob breaks free and I fall into Charlie's open arms, inhaling his familiar scent of woodchips, Old Spice cologne and smoke. It reassures me slightly, always has since I was a little girl and I'd hang out with him in his workshop. We sit in silence for a while, I'm not sure how long exactly, before I take a breath and repeat what Sam said. "He said, he's sick of it all and he doesn't want Edward to come back..." I mumbled into his shoulder, feeling his exhale into my hair a moment later.

"Bells, he's a kid, he doesn't mean it. That boy worships the ground Edward walks on."

"I used to think so. It doesn't make what he said hurt any less, though. I can't believe I didn't see it. When Edward calls, I'm going to have to talk to him."

Charlie turns his head and then sighs softly; it's not a happy sound. "What time did you say he'd call?"

"Um, half six, why?" The end of my sleeve removed the tears and I sat back, turning to look at the clock on the wall. _Quarter to eight_. "He said he'd...he promised he'd call so he could speak to the kids." My voice is confused and so am I. Edward had been excited to speak to them. He'd only missed Sam by about half an hour last night and I could tell he'd been disappointed, we knew each other inside and out. Edward and I had been together since seventh grade when he asked me out with a white rose and Hershey's Kisses. We were twelve, then. Now at the age of twenty nine we were still as much in love as had always been, perhaps even more so since getting married and having our four beautiful children.

"Maybe he got caught up. I'm sure he has a good reason." Charlie said calmly, helping me up by pulling my hands and tugging me onto the sofa. "Are you gonna be all right on your own or do you want be to kip in the spare?"

"No, it's ok. I'll be fine." I smiled up at him, hoping it was convincing. "Don't forget to say goodbye to the kids." He didn't smile back but nodded before kissing my head and heading upstairs, presumably to say goodbye to Sam.

Half an hour later he'd said his goodbyes to Sam, Lizzie and Jake and then gave me a hug, told me to say hello to Edward when he got in later and headed out to his car in the driveway. Before I could sit down and try to relax I took Lizzie and Jake to their rooms, tucked them in and gave them hugs and kisses. After I explained that their Daddy was really busy and he's see them when they woke up instead of over the phone, of course. Luckily they were both tired after a long day of playing with Grandpa so they didn't question me too much and went off to sleep quickly. Adter I'd tucked Jake into his Spiderman themed bed and sqitched on his night light I walked down the hall and knocked lightly on Sam's door. "_Come in_," he called quietly. Sam and I had a short discussion in which we didn't mention Edward except for when I told him the same as his younger siblings. He snorted but didn't say anything more, instead kissing my cheek and telling me that he wanted to get some sleep.

"All right. Well, night Sam, love you."

"Love you too, Mom. And, I'm sorry for yelling earlier. And pushing Jake." I smiled gently.

"It's ok, but you're on restriction and you're apologizing to Jake and Lizzie tomorrow. Capisce?

"Yeah," he grimaced, "capisce."

"Good. See you in the morning."

I found myself sitting on the back porch -on the swing Edward and Charlie had put together when we bought the house just after Sam turned one- a little while later with a glass of wine and a box of chocolates. The beautiful river at the end of the garden glistened in the moonlight and the stars twinkled radiantly. I was lost in my thoughts when I head the back door open and slipper-clad feet tapping on the wooden deck. "Mom, phone for you." Just then the home phone let out another ring that seemed to ruin the magic of the snow covered landscape. I quickly took the phone and pressed the button to answer, mouthing a thanks to a sleepy-eyed Sam. He plopped himself on the cushion beside me and snuggled into my fluffy coat.

"Hello?"

"Bella." Edward's warm voice filled my ear as he sighed into the phone, my heart skipping a beat."

"Oh, Edward." Sam jolted in his spot and fixed his eyes on me. "I thought you were going to call before the kids went to bed? They were really excited."

"I'm so, _so_, sorry, Bella. We've had so many things go wrong over here. I tried to call this morning but the line was busy and then everything took off and I just couldn't get away." He sounded exhausted and my heart went out to him. I missed him so much it hurt.

"Ok, how are you? How did it all go? It's done, right?"

He sighed again, "I'm all right sweetheart, just tired I guess. I miss you and the kids. How are you all?"

"They've been great, perfect little angels." Sam shot me an apologetic look and curlde back into my side, wrapping his arm around my stomach with a sigh as I hugged him to me. "We miss you like crazy though. Do you want to speak to Sam?"

"He's still up?" Edward sounded ecstatic and it warmed me despite the chilly December air.

"He heard the phone and brought it to me."

"Oh, yeah, great. Let me speak to him, please. God, I've missed my boy."

"Here he is. Sam," his smile lit up the garden as he took the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Dad!" I could hear Edward's voice calling back to him through the phone and I sighed with relief. "Yeah, Mom's been great. She let us listen to music all day and we decorated the tree yesterday! It looks awesome. I put your favourite bauble on there 'cause I know you like it. Lizzie wanted to put the pink ones on though and they looked stupid." He laughed and it was an exact replica of Edward's chuckle. "Yeah I know...can't live with 'em but can't live without 'em...I won't tell her you said that...yeah we wouldn't wanna hurt her feelings..." at that Sam winked and mouthed "I love you Mom". I kissed his head and rested my cheek on his copper hair as he chattered on. "Grandpa Charlie came over today and played on the soccer table with me and Jake and Mom, but Jake and Mom lost again...me either...it's stupid...yeah...well 'cause you're comin' back tonight you could wake me up and we could play, or I guess we could just play in the morning." He amended at my disapproving head-shake. I sat back and looked at his grin, watching as it fell and his face darkened. His eyebrows set in a frown and his lips were in a tight line as he listened to Edward talk on the other end of the line. "No! No, Dad, you know what? You stink! Do'nt come back then, fine! We don't need you. Mom can make Christmas great _without you_!" Sam slammed the phone onto the cushion we were sitting on, jumping off the seat and stormed towards the house.  
>"Sam!" I cried. He stopped and hung his head. With his back to me I couldn't see his face but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides and he was breathing like he'd run a marathon. "What was that about?"<p>

"He's not. Coming. Home." Was all he said before wrenching the door open, throwing himself inside and slamming it behind him. Immediately I heard MacKenzie's muffled cries from inside. Picking up the phone and putting it back to my ear Edward's worried voice was audible.

"Sam? Hey, listen to me buddy, Sam!"

"It's me, Edward." I told him quietly, already knowing what was coming now after Sam's outburst. I closed the back door and locked it behind me, pouring the wine down the sink and shoving the chocolates back in the fridge before heading up the stairs towards my baby's room.

"Bella! Is Sam ok? He just yelled and left the phone..."

"You're not coming home?" Was all I could squeeze out, my eyes clenched shut and my hand tight around the phone.

Edward sighed heavily, "I don't know. Mister Marks isn't a family man and he's demanded that we meet at five on the twenty fifth. We don't have a choice but to meet him and he won't budge on the date. I'm sorry Bella, I really want to be there." His desperate tone fell of deaf ears as I processed what he was saying. _Edward isn't coming home for Christmas_. The kdis would all have the same reaction as Sam had, I expected, except MacKenzie because she could understand but she'd taken to crawling to the front foor and playing with Edward's sneakers as if she were waiting for him. I'd even caught her pulling herself up so she could see through the small window in the bottom of the window on the front door. I wondered idly if Esme and Carlisle knew yet or if I'd have to call and let them know. "Bella? Bella, are you there? Bella!"

"Yeah, I'm here, Edward." Raking a hand through my hair I stood outside MacKenzie's door where I could hear her crying softly. "I've got to go. MacKenzie's crying and I need to get to her."

"Why is she crying? Bella! Don't go yet...look I'm sorry you're upset but I can't-"

"Don't, Edward. Just, don't. You promised you'd call and talk to the kids and they've been waiting all day. Sam had a melt down earlier because he thinks you don't care about us. Edward, they _miss _you. _I _miss you. They've been absolute wrecks since you left and I just don't know if I can deal with this anymore." As the words left my mouth I realised just how true they were. How many times would I have to console my miserable children when Edward missed a Skype date or phone call? Birthdays, baseball games, _Christmases_? "You're never here, Sam's right, and it's taking its toll. Can you just, call in the morning? The kids will want to talk to you."

"Bella...talk to me, pelase. I'm _sorry_. I don't know what you want from me."

"No, neither do it. Goodnight, Edward."

"Wai-"

"Hello, baby girl, it's ok." Cradling MacKenzie in my arms as I sat in the soft chair oppostie the window I allowed myself to think about the conversation I'd just had with my husband. What I'd said was the truth, whether I'd just realised it or not. Edward owned his own real estate business, buying, restoring and then selling luxury homes for well earned profits. He's spent a lot of time travelling in recent years to set up offices all over the country. At the moment he was in Hampshire setting up a deal with a new company. If all went well it would mean a great increase in the profits and quality of the buildings they'd be able to renovate, which of course was amazing. Edward and his brother-in-law Emmett had been working on the deal for months and it meant a lot to the both of them, but Christmas meant a lot to his family and he should be here. I completely understood that he had to be there for the meeting but I couldn't get over the fact that he was putting it before his family. Of _me_, of _our children_. It just didn't make sense and a single, fat, lone tear tumbled down my cheek and splashed onto MacKenzie's pink sleepsuit. She sniffled and her unique, mismatched eyes shimmered up at me wetly.

Our entire family had been awestruck when just a few months after her birth, MacKenzie's eyes were clearly two different colours; her left a dazzling emerald green and her right a stunning chocolate brown. As she grew older they got brighter and even more delightful. Looking into them tonight my own immediately filled with tears and I wiped at them frustratedly, noting that I'd been crying a ridiculous amount recently. My mind began reeling, remembering things I'd put to the back of my mind and forgotten about in the whirlwind of running a house with four young children and organising the perfect family Christmas. Just yesterday I'd scarfed down half a jar of peanut butter, be it smeared on toast, from a spoon or in the two sandwiches I'd eaten for lunch. Tears had seemed to spring out of nowhere as I watched the children Edward and I had brought into the world do menial things, things that usually would make me simple smile or laugh, now brought me to tears and turned me into a wreck. A week ago I had suffered a terrible bout of vomiting and we put it down to the chicked I'd eaten that had instantly tasted off. _Oh shit!_ With a startling clap of clarity I looked down into my babys sleepy, half-lidded eyes and felt more tears rolling down my cheeks. It all made sense now. _Oh my God..._

"Momma..." I looked up and spotted Lizzie standing in the doorway, her little brother's hand tucked into hers as he rubbed at his eyes. "Me and Jake can't sleep. Can we get in yours and Daddy's bed?"

"Sure, baby. Let me put MacKenzie in her crib." She bit her lip -a habit she'd inherited from me, much to her Dad's delight- and eyed me hopefully.

"Can she sleep wiff us? And Daddy?"

"Daddy isn't back yet, Lizzie...he, he's a little busy at the moment. He's going to call and speak to you in the morning though." She sighed and hung her head, resigned, just like we all were.

"'Kay, Momma." With a soft kiss to MacKenzie's head I placed her in her crib, tucked the blanket around her and reset the nightlight and musical mobile before ushering Lizzie and a half asleep Jake into the bedroom I shared with Edward. Well, when he was here.

"Come on you two, snuggle up." As I settled myself into the centre of the king-size bed Edward and I had spent our first night as a married couple in, Lizzie tucked into my left side and Jake on my right, I decided that I'd get up early, call my sister-in-law Alice and have her pick up a test for me. She would be brining her three children over tomorrow anyway to get the holidays going and hopefully distract the kids from Edward's absence. Rosalie -Edward's other sister-, her husband and their two children, Edward's parents Carlisle and Esme and my dad were also coming over tomorrow. As I drifted off into an exhausted sleep I realised that Edward and I would definitely need to have a discussion about the travelling, especially if my suspicious were proved correct. My last waking thought before I succumbed to unconsciousness was _what will Edward's reaction be when he finds out he's going to be a Dad again?_


	2. We Need A Little Christmas

**BPOV**

"Mom? Wake up...Mom!" Startled, my eyes shoot open and I turn my head to find Sam standing beside the bed with a whimpering MacKenzie in his arms. "Oh good, you're up." My arms flex out into the bed and I discover the empty sheets are still warm; Jake and Lizzie haven't been up long.

"What-" clearing my throat I start again, "what's wrong?"

"She woke up, dunno what's wrong with her though. She doesn't have a wet diaper or anything; I checked." I smile softly at me eldest son as he crawls onto the bed and passes me my daughter. Sitting up with her cradled to my chest I can tell her temperature is slightly above normal. "Is she gonna be ok, Mom? Shall I call Pops?" The worry is clear in his tone and I feel a swell of adoration for my sweet, thoughtful boy. I knew he was in there somewhere.

"She's fine, Sam, just a little warm. It probably wouldn't hurt to call Pops though. Where are Jake and Lizzie? Actually, what time is it?" He smiles bashfully, his cheeks turning pink.

"It's almost nine. I thought we could let you sleep a bit today, you know, 'cause of Dad not bein' here and all. I made them breakfast and we fed Kenzers." For what I'm sure will be the first of _many _times today my eyes prickle with tears and I smile, holding my free arm out. Sam dives into my embrace and rests his head on my shoulder as his arms go around me and MacKenzie.

"Thank you Sammy. That's really sweet of you, I appreciate it."

"I love you, Mom." He says quietly, and I bend my head to kiss first his mop of unruly auburn hair and then his sister's wild fiery red curls.

"I love you too. Come on, lets go and call Pops. Everyone's coming over today, don't forget. Are the bedrooms all tidy?" He grins his father's frin and it makes my heart melt. Always has done.

"Yep. I helped Jake tidy his yesterday and Lizzie did hers this mornin'. Mine was clean already." I hadn't expected any different from Sam, my little neat-freak.

"Great, that's perfect. Danny and Stefan are sleeping in your room remember." He nods excitedly and kisses my cheek before hopping off the bed.

"Are you comin' down now?"

"Yeah. Come on baby girl, let's get you some medicine."

A little while later Sam, Jake and Lizzie are all suited and booted up, playing in the snow drifts just off the front porch and I've set MacKenzie down in her play pen with some frozen fruit. She seems happy enough to suck on those now I've given her some children's Tylenol for her slight fever but I still call my father-in-law. "Hello, Carlisle?"

"Oh, hello Bella! How are you?" I smile at his cheery tone; Carlisle is almost as big on Christmas as I am.

"I'm great, thanks. You and Esme both ok?" He chuckles and I hear Esme's voice in the background asking if it's me. "Yes dear, it's Bella." He pauses. "Yes dear. Bella, she says to tell you that she's very sorry for Edward's behaviour and she plans to have a few words with him when he gets back. I second that notion, just so you know." _What? How do they know...?_ "Edward phones us early this morning after your line cut off, if that's what you're wondering. Did you still want us to come over today?" I sighed, concluding that the weather probably had a part in the line messing about.

"Yes, yes of course I do! The kids are all looking forward to it. They're over the moon, actually." I realised then that this was probably the perfect person to be speaking to about my sudden suspicions for my recent behaviour and I was wasting time. Alice would be arriving soon with her husband and three children so I wouldn't be able to catch him alone then. "Um, Carlisle, I was meaning to speak to you actually. In a professional capacity. I know it's an awful time, but..."

"No! No, that's fine, Bella. Honestly. Would you prefer to wait until we get to your house? Esme and I will be leaving shortly."

I considered my options, and how much time I'd have. "I'm not sure it can wait."

"How about I find a reason for us to come back here after I've dropped Esme off? She can take care of the kids for a while, I'm sure." His voice quietened and I assumed he was preventing Esme from hearing.

"Er, ok. Actually I could always say that we're talking about Esme's present...?" He chuckled at that.

"Sure, that would be perfect. She'll never try and muscle in." There was a shriek then before something muffled.

"Bella, dear, how are you?" Esme suddenly trilled, Carlisle harrumphing in the background.

I laughed lightly, "I'm fine, thank you Esme."

"Oh, good! I hope Carlisle relayed my message?"

"Yes, he did. Thank you Esme, but that won't be-"

"Oh, pooh. I won't hear a word of it. You let me deal with that son of mine and then he's all yours to deal with as you see fit." I smiled widely at her fierce loyalty and rolled my eyes, gasping at MacKenzie's loud squeal from her pen. I dashed through the kitchen to get to her. She beamed at me and did it again.

"Daaaaa!" She cried in her high soprano. Esme sucked in a breath as a broad smile spread across my face and a lump built in my throat.

"Was that...?" she breathed.

"Yeah...she was trying to say _Dad_." I murmured, cradling the phone between my ear and my shoulder before scooping my daughter up and swinging her around. Her loud giggles made Esme laugh too.

"She's such a darling, I can't wait to see her. Oops, Carlisle wants me. We'll be over in a little while, is that ok, Bella?"

"That's great. We'll see you soon, Esme."

I sent off a quick text to Alice after hugging MacKenzie tight to me and begging her to try and say something else. Her first word! She almost said her first word! I couldn't believe it.

**Hey Alice, please can you do me a huuuuuuge favor on your way over? B x**

I bounced MacKenzie on my knee until my phone beeped with a new message.

**Sure thing Belly boo! Anything. A x**

**Please can you get me a test? B x**

Sure enough, my cell rang seconds later with Alice's face lighting up the screen. I gave MacKenzie a small smile, putting it to my ear. "You're pregnant!" She squealed loudly, making me cringe and Mackenzie drop her cucumber stick with a shocked expression.

"I don't know, Ali. That's why I need that favor." She immediately stopped her incessant noise and the line went silent. "Ali? Alice, are you there?"

"You're unhappy. Bella, I'll be there in a couple of hours, ok? I have to sort the boys out. Sit tight. Do you need anything? Have any cravings?"

"Alice," I rolled my eyes. "I don't think I need to worry about that just yet." She sighed long and loud.

"Sure, see you soon Bells." Abruptly she was gone and I wondered what had spurred her sudden mood change. Then I shook it off; this was Alice Whitlock, Queen of all things remotely odd or quirky.

"Momma! Uncle Em and Aunt Rose are he-_re_!" Lizzie yelled, running into the house excitedly and straight up the stairs towards her bedroom, closely followed by her six year old cousin Lillian and then Rose herself carrying the newest addition to the family, Richard. At three weeks old he was a cute bundle of pink snuffly nose and baby powder aroma; adorable. She stopped suddenly in the doorway and stared at me with appraising eyes that widened fairly quickly.

"Um, hi, Rose?" I mumbled, wondering if I had something on my shirt.

"Holy cow, Bells! _Again_?" She erupted a few moments later, just as her enormous husband, Emmett, strolled in. Jake was sitting on one of his feet gripping his leg whilst Sam was hanging off a meaty bicep. He grinned widely at me and pulled a funny face to make MacKenzie giggle. She did, of course. Nobody had ever been immune to Emmett's goofy charm in all the thirteen years I'd known him. It was no shocked that his niece was exactly the same. He took one look at Rose's shocked face, my surprised and bemused one, and at the kids before scooping MacKenzie out of my arms and strolling upstairs, the boys still firmly attached. Em threw a weink over his shoulder as he went and Rose snapped out of it, quickly joining me on the sofa.

"I can't believe it. Seriously, MacKenzie's like, eleven months? You're really knocking me out of the park here, Bells."

I frowned and reached down to smooth out my shirt, "Rose, what are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes in true Cullen fashion before motioning to my mid section.

"Oh come on Bells, I can _see _it! You aren't fooling anyone." With furrowed brows I glanced down at where she was pointing, my breath hitching as the suspicions I'd pushed to the back of my mind resurfaced with a vengeance. Within seconds I was infront of the floor length mirror in the wet room, the pyjama shirt that I'd woken and changed into around five am pulled up. _Holy hell! There's a bejeezing _BUMP_!_

"I...it wasn't...this can't..._Rose_!" My delightful sister-in-law squealed -clearly channelling Alice- and hugged my shoulder with her free arm. "I only realised I even could be last night, and Edward's been gone three months. I must be atleast twelve weeks gone, but...I haven't even taken a test. The last thing I would have thought of is checking for a freaking bump."

"Oh Bells, this is great! What did Edward say? Where is the little twerp anyway?" She watched as my face fell, my wondrous smile dissipating to be replaced by a sorrowful smile.

"He didn't come back last night after all. They changed the appointment. It's on Christmas day. He's going to, m-miss Christmas." Rose's furious expression said it all.

At half past twelve, the day before Christmas Eve, I found myself in my father-in-law's stunning new Mercedes on the way to the hospital. "Um, Carlisle?" I asked hesitantly.

"Um, Bella?" He imitated my tone and tilted his head to grin at me lopsidedly, exactly the same as his son and grandsons often did.

I rolled my eyes with an indulgent smile, "are you sure this is ok? I don't want to put anyone out and I'm sure you didn't want to spend your holiday back at work." Carlisle chuckled and reached out to pat my knee; it was bouncing up and down at rapid speed, and stilled at his touch before he pulled his hand away to change gears.

"I promise you, right now there isn't anything else I want to do instead of this." He paused, his face thoughtful. "Bella, when I decided to change specialities as it were and become an obstetrician I never dreamed the experiences I would get out of it. The best one, by far, is being able to look after my children when they're bringing my grandchildren into the world. When you and Edward came to me asking you to take you to the hospital for bloods because you couldn't believe you were pregnant without even trying, do you remember what I said?" A happy smile spread across both our faces as I recalled my wedding day almost eleven years ago.

_~ Ten years and nine months ago ~_

"_Hey, Dad, can we speak to you for a minute?" Edward called Carlisle over as discreetly as possible; the last thing I wanted was for people to hear and start a riot over it. Edward and I could hardly believe it ourselves, and we wanted a little time for it to be confirmed and then celebrate it together before we told our friends and family. God, I hope we really are..._

"_Yes Edward, of course son. Bella, I don't think I've told you yet, you look beautiful sweetheart." A light flush spread across my skin as my new husband wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pressed a kiss to my temple. My new father-in-law chuckled and winked at me, making my cheeks redden further as he knew it would._

"_All right Dad, enough bullying my bride." Ever time he called me his bride or his wife or Mrs Cullen it made my heart leap and my eyes flicker straight to the traditional gold band that now rested with my engagement ring. Mrs Edward Cullen, that's me!_

"_Um, Bella? I need your input here too..." Edward teased gently._

"_Oh, sorry. Er, Carlisle, we...er, I...Edward and I..." now it came to asking I couldn't quite get the words out. I looked up at Edward; he clearly saw the plea in my eyes and shook his head with a small smile._

"_We think we're preangny. Bella took a test but we were wondering if you could get some bloods done at the hospital? You can't tell Mom yet." Carlisle's handsome face was glowing with delight and the help of the softly lit lanterns filling the marquee, his mouth curled up in the grin he'd passed on to his son. Blue eyes settled on me, filled with tears._

"_Oh son, Bella, of course I will! When do you want me to...?" Smiles crept both mine and Edward's faces as he spoke, his normally smooth voice tempered with emotion._

"_As soon as we get back, if that's possible." Carlisle nodded firmly._

"_I'll have it sorted. Oh, come here!" He quickly grabbed me from Edward's arms and pulled me to his chest. Carlisle cradled me to him in the way only a father could. Just like Dad had hours ago before he led me down the aisle. "Thank you Bella, thank you. If there is ever, ever anything I can do to help you, your baby and any more you have in the future, please come to me and I'll help to the best of my ability." He whispered, and then I heard Esme join us and ask what we'd done to reduce her poor husband to tears. That was when I felt a warm splash on my bare shoulder, realising just how much this meant to Carlisle that we were giving him his first grandchild. Christ, Carlisle, I hope I don't disappoint you."_

_~ Back to December 23rd 2011 ~ _

"Yes Carlisle, I do. You had me in tears for ages." He reached up and rubbed his neck with a slight laugh.

"I apologize, but what I said back then is still in full effect now. You understand?" I turned to face the man that had raised Alice, Edward and Rosalie in the amazing people they were now; the man that met the love of his life in a coffee shop almost forty years ago and vowed that he'd never be without her, marrying her just months later; the man that had consoled me when my own father had been ravaged with cancer, making sure that the hospital did every single thing possible to get him well again; the man that attended my college graduation with his entire family and instead of just cheering for Edward, cheered and waved a banner for me too; he helped to bring Sam, Lizzie, Jake and MacKenzie into the world and keep them healthy in utero too, as well as Alice's three and Rosalie's two. I knew that this pregnany -by now I was pretty damn certain- would be exactly the same.

"I understand. Thank you Carlisle, you're the best." I leaned across and kissed his cheek as swe pulled into his parking spot at the hospital, giggling as for once he was the one blushing.

"Now, now, you're making me blush. Come on Bella, let's go see my grandbaby."

Ten minutes later I was sitting back on the examination table with Carlisle wiping the standard goo onto the doppler. He had grinned widely and raised his eyebrows at me when I lifted my top and he saw the size of the bump; it really was larger than I thought. I wondered how I, or someone else for that matter, hadn't noticed it before now. Carlisle had suggested that the thick clothes protecting me from the cold had also been protecting the bump from being seen. It was a viable conclusion, I supposed. "Ok, this is going to be a little cold." He warned, all but bouncing with excitement as he hovered the doppler over my belly. "You ready to hear baby Cullen number ten's heartbeat?" With a deep, steadying breath and a smile, I nodded.

"Here goes..." the doppler landed on my belly as he began to move it around, and at once I heard a steady beat, but it sounded different to the last four times I'd been pregnant. Faster, like a hummingbird's wings, maybe?

Panic began to build in the pit of my stomach as my brain whirled. _What's going on? Why's he frowning? Usually he's jumping for joy already._

"Ah, I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to come out with it, ok?" I couldn't read the expression on his face. It frustrated me.

"No! No, don't tell me. I don't want to know. Yes, wait! I do. Oh, just say it quickly, Carlisle." He turned to look me in the eye and in my peripheral vision I watched as his mouth turned up into a huge, toothy grin.

"You're having twins, Bella." And then I fainted.

**EsmePOV**

I know that something is going on with Bella and my husband. Not in the way you're probably thinking I mean. Carlisle is completely loyal to me as is Bella to Edward, but there is something going on that they don't want us to know about. Without me even asking questions I already know that my Christmas present is already safely stashed in Bella and Edward's bedroom because Jake let slip when the kids stayed at Thanksgiving. Of course, he didn't tell me that it was 'pearls with sparkly things in the middle'. Of course he wouldn't betray his poor mother like that after she bribed him to keep his mouth shut with no chores until February. But, I digree.

Bella and Carlisle? They're up to something. And I _will _find out what it is.

"Nana, Daddy is on the phone. He say'd he want to speak to you." Jake skipped into the kitchen as I began to chop the vegetables for supper and held the phone up to me with a toothy grin.

"Oh, hold on to it for just a minute please Jake, whilst I...ok, thank you." He handed it to me with a flourish and ran back out of the room, no doubt to hunt down Sam, Lillian, Lizzie and Emmett. They were all playing on the Wii console they got for Christmas last year in the play room whilst Rose was looking after Richard and MacKenzie. "Edward!"

"Hey Mom, how're you?" A frown took the place of my smile as his exhausted voice registered in my mind. He sounded awful.

"Don't worry about me, what's the matter? You sound terrible."

Edward chuckled but there was no joy in it and my heart hurt at the sound, "my family are all on one side of the continent and I'm on the other? My eldest son wishes that I'd never come back and my wife...goddamn, I've hurt her Mom, haven't I? Why am I asking, 'course I have." He huffed and tears prickled my eyes, knowing he was probably sitting someone in a hotel or office running his hand through that unruly mop of hair Bella wouldn't let him cut. I turned to look out of the window at the footprints and small snowman the children and Emmett had made before I ushered them into the warmth of the house. "Is she there? I tried to call this morning and someone answered but the it cut off. I think Kenzers must have had it or something." _Oh, sweet boy._ Sam had told me earlier when we had words about his attitude that he'd answered and promptly hung up when Edward started to speak. He me that he didn't want his Mom hurt anymore that she already was, that he'd found her crying with MacKenzie last night. I reassured Sam that it'd get sorted, reminded him to just focus on Christmas, minding his manners and being happy before sending him on his way. Since then he'd gotten more involved with playing games with the other children.

"She went out with your father actually, a little while ago. They went out to sort a Christmas present." I smiled to myself at their attempt at secrecy.

"Oh. Did she say who's?"

"No, just that it needed to be done today."

"Ok then. Could have her call me when she gets in, please Mom?" Just then I heard the front door open followed by a stampede of feet.

"Momma!"  
>"Aunt Bella!"<p>

"Pops!"

"Mom!"

"Is that Bella? Mom! Is Bella there?" Carlisle strolled into the kitchen a few moments later, making his way over to me, nuzzling his cold cheek against mine. I shrieked and jumped back a step, smiling widely at my childish husband as he kissed me before starting some coffee. Then Bella walked into the room, her wooly jumper pulled tight around her with a serene smile on her pink-tinged face.

"Yes, they just got in." I told Edward quietly.

"Please can you pass her the phone? Mom?" Bella eyed me curiously, mouthing 'who is it?' I shook my head slightly.

"I'll pass you over. Love you, take care of yourself."

"Love you too, Mom, thanks." Bella took the phone with a small smile as I stepped over to help Carlisle figure out the coffee machine whilst our daughter-in-law spoke to her husband. She left the room hurriedly and Carlisle turned to me, a strange gleam in his twinkling blue eyes.

"What was that all about, dear?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder towards the door Bella had just exited from. Of course there was nothing that I could or would keep from Carlisle concerning our children, Bella, Jasper and Emmett very much included. After quickly peeking into the hallway and spotting Bella in the conservatory whilst the children, Emmett and Rose were upstairs I pulled the door shut and say with Carlisle at the table. Holding one of his hands I explained the situation.

"Edward is working on his deal in New Hampshire and the man they need to keep happy, Johnson or Jackson or something-"

"Jenkins." Carlisle interjected helpfully, grinning at my grateful nod.

"Yes, Jenkins, well he's apparently not a family _or _a holidays man and he's changed their meeting date to the twenty fifth." He frowned, lines deepening in his forehead. I raised my free hand and smoothed them out softly.

"That's...well it's...it's preposterous! And Edward tried to get of this I hope?"

"Of course!" Tears pooled in my eyes and Carlisle tugged me to him as he wrapped his arms around my torso, mine wrapping around his neck. "Carlisle...Bella and the children are distraught! He must come home for Christmas! He must."

"It's ok Esme, I'm going to make a few calls. Alice is on her way over with Landon, Mia and Jackson, she asked me to tell you that Jasper is going to come a little later we we should save his tea." He leaned back and kissed my cheeks before wiping away his tears with his thumbs, a warm smile gracing his handsome face. "Don't panic. We'll have our family back together for Christmas yet."

"Ok." I'd put my trust in him forty odd years ago and I'd do it again now. Kissing his forehead I nodded slightly before he marched out of the room 'to make some calls'. If anyone could get this family back together it would be my loving, family-oriented, passionate husband.

Bella didn't tell me anything of her call with Edward when she returned a little while later, tear tracks faded on her rosy cheeks and slightly puffy eyes. She'd obviously been crying but whether those were happy tears or the opposide was yet to be determined. One thing I did know, however, was that she wasn't one to be pushed. Bella would open up when she was good and ready. The children encouraged her to play with them and because of her hatred of refusing them she joined in, but her thinly veiled sadness made it painful to watch so I moved back to the kitchen to make a start on dinner. Alice arrived with her eight year old son Landon, five year old Jackson and four year old Mia shortly after Bella joined me in the kitchen, and then we -Rose, Alice, Bella and I- sat down with glasses of wine to natter. Emmett and Carlisle promised to keep the children organised and occupid, so we left them to it. Bella made sure that the rules were clear: clean up any mess you make, no fighting and if something gets broken she doesn't want to know how it happened, just that it's been cleaned up safely. She'd borrowed that rule from me, as whenever we all got together things were bound to be broken. With nine children and Emmett that was pretty much a given. Besides it didn't do to get angry about accidents.

"Oh, Bella! I've got those dresses in the car! Let's go and try them on while Dad and Em have the kids!" Alice dragged Bella from the room, a twinkle in her eye. Rose and I looked at each other, shrugged and broke into giggles.

"I can't believe he's not gonna be here, Mom." She sighed when we eventually caught our breath.

Taking a deep breath I nodded meekly. It pained me to know that my family was upset for any reason, and to know that poor Edward was on the other side of the country feeling just as miserable...it was the worst feeling I'd had in a long while. "I know, Rosie, I know."

"It'll be the first Christmas I've ever had without Edward." She shrugged but I could tell she'd miss her little brother. Even when they started college Carlisle and I always travelled to see them for Christmas, Bella too of course considering she and Edward had been joint at the hip since they were in the eighth grade. I felt a tug on my heart for the children in the next room. Sam, Lizzie, Jake and MacKenzie would all miss their dad this Christmas on top of all the time they'd lost because of his extended trip to New Hampshire. It was horrible that he wouldn't be here, but what could we do?

"Your father is trying to do what he can to get Edward home. Even if it was just for Christmas Eve and some of Christmas day before he flew out again...it would be something. They haven't seen him in such a long time, especially poor little MacKenzie." Rose rocked a wide eyed Richard in her arms and smiled down at him adoringly. "Oh Rosie, let me have a hold. He look so cute in that little outfit." She grinned and gently handed him over once I'd set my glass down. "Hello Richard, I'm your Nana." He blew a bubble, startling when it popped. Richard opened his brilliant blue eyes wider and wiggled his arms in the air.

"He's beautiful, Ro." Bella appeared in the doorway then, her body modestly covered by a wonderful scarlet dress with three quarter length sleeves, a wrap around front in a v-neck and ruched detail on the middle with a skirt that was the perfect length, falling to just above her knees. She looked stunned. As my eyes took in all the detail I spotted a tell-tale bump, meeting her gaze with a shocked gasp.

Bella's cheeks flushed as she took a deep breath, "I, er, have some news. It's a surprise for Edward...and for me, too." Alice bounded into the doorway then in a lovely black cocktail dress with silver beading around the bodice and a snowflake sewn onto the wide silver belt. "Esme, I'm pregnany." Tears poured down my cheeks as I looked up at Bella's face, beaming. She was biting her lip nervously, her eyes wet.

"Oh Bella, dear, come here!" Rose took Richard, leavning me free to jump up and wrap my arms around my daughter-in-law as she dashed into them. "That's such good news!" It hit me then. "That's where you went this morning, isn't it? With Carlisle." She didn't need to nod and confirm it because I knew I was right.

"I can't believe it. Grandbaby number ten!"

"I know! And so soon! _Eeeee_!" Alice trilled excitedly, clapping her hands like she had since she was a baby.

I faced Bella, guessing she must be quite far along to have a noticable bump already. "How far along are you, dear? We'll have to see about turning that last spare room into a nursery, once we know which colour of course." Already I was turning ideas of samples, furniture, black-out blinds and remodelling around in my head.

"Well," I refocused on Bella, "according to the bloods and the scan, they think I'm about twelve weeks..."

That made sense, considering it had been around that long since Edward had been back. "And we'll need to know colours, unless you wanted neutral this time and you're keeping it a surprise."

Bella inhaled deeply, biting her lip again, "we're gonna have to buy double, Esme."

_Double. Double? Why...oh my! _"Twins?!"

"Uh-huh." Rose, Alice and I all squealed out in delight, embracing her as we celebrated the wonderful news. _Twins! Gah, how wonderful!_

"And _why _are you all beginning the party without us?" Emmett crowed, stepping into the adjoining living room with Carlisle and the children right behind him as they converged with their army of toys and exuberant happiness.

"Oh Em," Rose huffed cheerfully, "I'll tell you in a minute. Or, better yet, go back in the office and have Dad tell you." Bella and Carlisle shared a look as he silently asked if that was ok; she nodded, so he led Emmett into the office. Moments later Emmett burst back into the room, his booming laugh ringing out as he scooped Bella up genttly to swing her round. She giggled, all the children looking on with curious -and somewhat envious- smiles.

"Congratulations, Babybel!" He cheered gleefully. It warmed my heart to see the relationship the pair shared.

"Momma, what's congwatuations mean?" Jake asked, tugging Bella's dress with an adorable expression on his little face. Predictably, all the adults awww'd and smiled. Bella knelt down infront of her son, calling Sam and Lizzie over too as MacKenzie crawled to her. She picked MacKenzie up and set her on her knee, smiling at the three older children, the ones who'd understand what she was about to tell them.

"Ok, I have a big surprise to tell Daddy when he gets home, but you guys can't tell him until I say so. All right?" Jake nodded enthusiastically, Lizzie smiled and Sam grinned almost knowingly. _So like his father, and his grandfather too, to be honest._

"Mom, I think I know what you're gonna say." He laughed quietly, his dark brown eyes flickering towards his Mom's bump. She grinned right back at him, the moment so tender I felt tears fill my eyes as Carlisle embraced me from behind and chuckled quietly into my hair.

"Kids, in six months, give or take, you're going to have two new baby brothers or sisters." She looked at Landon, Jackson, Mia and Lillian, smiling hesitantly. "And you're gonna to have two new cousins." Immediately Bella had all of the children wrapped around her, crying out happily as Carlisle kissed my cheek and Emmett joined Rose beside us where she cradled Richard. Alice beamed and clapped her hands joyfully, linking her arm through mine.

"I wonder how she's gonna tell him." Alice mused later that evening. We'd all eaten dinner and settled the children down in their beds. Lillian and Mia were with Lizzie in her bed, Landon and Jackson had blow-up ones in Jakes room and Richard had joined MacKenzie in her room in his travel cot. Carlisle and I were taking the spare room that would soon become the nursery if I had any say, Alice had Jasper were staying in the conservatory whilst Rose and Emmett had 'tagged' the pull-out in the living room.

"Obviously not over the phone." Bella appeared out of nowhere, her dress long discarded for a tank top and yoga pants that stretched over the bump and showed it off. She grinned and settled into the sofa between Emmett and Jasper, who had arrived a little while ago. Alice, Rose and I were on the sofa adjacent to them with Carlisle in the armchair, and we laughed at her sigh of contentment. "I'm exhausted already. What am I gonna be like when they're bigger? I'll be _huge_!" She cried, looking at her reasonably small bump, considering, no doubt imagining it in a few months. All four of her previous babies had been over seven pounds at birth, so with _twins_...I'd be nervous too, probably.

Emmett, dear boy, chuckled loudly then. "Yeah! Remember how big you were with Kenzers? _Jeez_, looked like you were smugglin' a..." when he realised that only he and Jasper were laughing whilst all the women were shooting daggers his way, he shut up and smiled bashfully at Bella. She rolled her eyes and mock punched his arm, earning another round of guffaws. "Silly Babybel. You know you love me really." Emmett wrapped a meaty arm around her, tugging her into his side.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Bella replied good naturedly. He snorted and winked at Rose.

"Well, not a lot does help at night nowadays, Babybel. Ya know what I mean." I think we all simultaneously rolled our eyes at his double entendre."

"You forget, Em, that I've already raised four babies and helped with both yours and Alice and Jasper's. I'm sure I'll be fine with these two. Not to mention that Edward..." an awkward silence filled the room when Bella trailed off. None of us could reassure her and say that he'd be here to help all the time, because no one knew. No one but Edward. It broke my heart to see that shattered expression on my daughter's face as she thought of looking after four children, three of which would be under two years old, whilst Edward travelled the country.

The ringing of Carlisle's cell broke the silence and he excused himself after looking at the screen with a frown. He ventured out onto the veranda where his voice was audible but muffled. Hearing Bella's soft sigh, I leaned across and patted her knee to get her attention. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"I just don't want him to miss this, you know?" She wiped her face with Emmett's profferred sleeve, sniffling a little laugh. "When I got the scan earlier, I put the picture in the envelope, to give to him as part of his present. I guess I'll just have to wait 'til he comes back though. Wishful thinking." Emmett squeezed her close, kissed her hair and tears filled my eyes at the sight as I sat back.

"Hey, Babybel, don't worry about it. Edward's gonna lose his sh-" at my warning he coughed, "he's gonna lose his _mind_, whenever you tell him. He's gonna be so happy, you know it." Bella smiled up at Emmett and wrapped her little arm around his middle, hugging him tight. Rose, Alice and I were all sniffling as she whispered something to him, getting a soft grin and a nod in return. Jasper watched with a gentle expression and then shook his head before wrapping his arms around them too, making it a group hug they all laughed at.

Bella had brought Jasper and Emmett into our lives one Thanksgiving twelve years ago and I would forever be grateful to her. They'd met at the outdoor merchandise store she worked in during the summer, forging a lifelong friendship. Then, when they'd found themselves at a loose end in 1999, she'd asked if she could bring them along to celebrate with us. Of course everyone agreed and Carlisle and I watched Edward and Bella, Jasper and Alice and Emmett and Rose fall in love right before our eyes that year. It was beautiful and magical and I would never forget that Christmas as we all gathered around the table with Bella's father, Charlie, whilst Edward proposed to Bella infront of their nearest and dearest. It wasn't long before my daughters' men followed suit. Edward and Bella married in June after a year long engagement in mine and Carlisle's back yard with just twenty guests. The whole day was intimate and lovely and had agreed that it was perfect for them.

"Mom? Kenzers is cryin' again." Sam hovered in the doorway between the hall and the living room, watching the scene with wary eyes. The love shining in thrm made my eyes tear up even more and a small sob left me. His eyes snapped over and widened. "Nana? Are you ok?" He hurried over and threw his arms around my neck.

"I'm fine, dear boy, just fine." I cried softly, hugging him with all my might.

"Then why're you cryin'?" He pulled back and looked at me with accusing but gentle eyes, so like his father's just with the color of his mother's.

"Because I'm happy, Sam. I'm so, so happy. Now, what were you saying about MacKenzie?"

"Oh, she woke up. I think she needs changing. I can do it but I couldn't find the diapers."

"It's all right, I'll come and do it. Come along, Sam." Taking my eldest grandson's hand we made our way upstairs to MacKenzie's room. She was crying softly in her crib as I scooped her up and cradled her to me. "I don't think her diaper's the problem." I felt her diaper through the sleep-suit and couldn't smell anything, but something was obviously bothering her.

"I dunno what's wrong with her, Nana. She just keeps cryin'." As I held her MacKenzie reached out to her brother, who of course rushed to try and console her. "S'ok Kenzers, s'ok." He murmured, caressing her bright red curls with a smile so like his father's it made my heart ache. She wound her little hands into Sam's hair and tugged until she could rest her cheek on the side of his head, winding it through her chubby fingers. Still, though, her cries continued.

"Da..." she said hoarsely inbetween whimpers.

I suddenly realized what it was that was upsetting her. "She's trying to say 'Dad'. She wants your Dad, Sam." Sam swallowed thickly bedore nodding slightly and closing his eyes tight.

"Is he...is he not comin' back 'cause I told him not to? I didn't mean it you know! I swear! I just...I want him to come _back_. Mom's miserable, Jake and Lizzie and Kenzers are miserable, you guys are all miserable. Even she's sad he's gone and she's a baby! I wished he'd come back Nana and now he isn't and it's all my stupid fault." Tears ran down his beautiful face and I bent down, wrapping both my grandchildren in my arms as we all tried to find comfort in each other.

"Oh, my baby." I looked up to see Bella standing just inside the door, her hand over her mouth as she looked at us with her free hand resting on her bump, tears running down her cheeks. She gently lowered to her knees beside us; I welcomed her into our hug as she cradled Sam's face in her hands and made him look her in the eyes. "Samuel Anthony Cullen, you must _not _blame yourself for this mess, you hear me? Your Dad is just really busy, we knew that, right buddy? He's got to work and we've got to be here for him when he comes home. He's not going to miss Christmas, ok? We won't let him." Her voice was so full of conviction I might almost have thought she had a plan.

"But...how?" Sam whimpered, sniffling as he looked into his Mom's eyes with big dark orbs full of worry and love. Bella thought for a moment before a smile spread across her face.

"Sam, Esme, MacKenzie, how do you feel about a little trip to New Hampshire? Sam, go back to bed, baby, all right? Tomorrow we'll pack up clothes and your presents and we'll take Christmas to Daddy. He won't miss it, I promise." Sam's eyes lit up and I stared at Bella in silence, agog.

"Are you serious? You're taking the children to New Hampshire?"

"Yes. Deadly serious, Esme. I won't let Edward miss Christmas and the kids need their Dad." A wide smile pulled at my lips and I kissed MacKenzie's hair.

"Oh Bella dear, you're wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

With Sam tucked back into bed and MacKenzie consoled and back asleep in her crib Bella and I dashed downstairs to share the news. I walked into the room and joined my husband in his armchair, sitting in his lap as Bella stood infront of the fireplace so she could face our family. "Ok, so I've made a decision. I want you all to know you don't have to go along with it." She took a deep breath, gazing around the room before looking to me for reassurance. I gave her a nod and a wink, making her smile before she took another breath. "I'm taking the kids to Edward. He can't miss Christmas and they can't miss him. I won't let them, it isn't fair. I'm more than happy to pay for your flights if you want to come and we'll take as much as we can so they don't miss out on presents or whatever, but I just can't be away from him anymore. My kids are unhappy and there isn't a thing on this Earth that's going to stop me from making Christmas a happy one. So," she sucked in a shaky breath, "who's with me?"


	3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

**EPOV**

"Blah, blah, blah...stunnning piece of real estate...blah, blah...is going to make an enormous profit in auction...blah, blah...it must have taken you months to get it to this standard, Mister Cullen." It took a moment or five for me to realize that I was being addressed.

"Oh! Er, yes, sorry. My team have been working tirelessly throughout the summer and fall. They deserve a break now this project's complete." The head of the company that I needed to convince to buy Clandestine Manor, Jay Jenkins, was smirking at me across the round table. We'd been converged around it for almost five hours now, negotiating a sale price and then a couple of other things we needed to sort out before we went home. _My family_... As my right hand man, Ben, brought Jenkins into another conversation that was sure to get heated I wondered what Bella and the kids were doing now. It was just after noon on Christmas Eve, so Mom, Dad, Ali and Rose and their kids and Em and Jazz would be there as well as my father-in-law Charlie. _God, he's going to be so pissed off. _I already knew my kids were. Well, they're more upset than anything according to Bella, and judging from the call I got from Sam...well, I'm gonna have some serious grovelling to do. I'm hoping my big surprise is going to go some way in helping them forgive me but I'm not counting on it. In fact if they make me grovel for a good while it'll make me feel better in the long run. I've been a total jerk to all them since I took over this business just before we found out that Bella was pregnant with Kenzers. I missed Sam's birthday this year. I promised to take him to a Cubs game and he'd been ecstatic, telling everybody that he had the coolest Dad ever because I was taking him to a Cubs game. Then I'd had to fly across country when part of a building my team was working on collapsed and some of them were injured. It'd been a two week trip, promising to make a big cake with him as soon as I got back because it was one of his favourite things to do. He'd grudgingly forgiven me then but it didn't last. Not that it was his fault. One afternoon whilst Sam was at a late baseball practice Lizzie and Jakehad been running around the house, Kenzers was collicy and Bella was out for a well-earned afternoon of pampering with Ali and Rose. I made a rash decision to use the ingredients for the cake with Lizzie and Jake. I had foreseen Sam's reaction of course, but what I hadn't expected was to be kicked out of the bedroom I shared with Bella for two nights until Sam forgave me again. Bella had been firm in that and I was glad. Never did I want to upset my kids, and it killed me to be avoided by Sam and then chided repeatedly by Bella. I never wanted that to happen again.

"So, we're good for now, right? I have a call to make." Jenkins looked up at me as I cut him off halfway through saying something I hadn't heard to Ben. The other nine men at the table also turned to stare at me.

Ben shifted in his seat, looking between an angry Jenkins and my resolute expression. "Sir, with all due respect, we haven't-"

"Ben. This is Christmas Eve. I have four kids and a wife at home that I need to speak to. It is _imperative_ that I do. I'm sorry gentleman, but it you'll excuse me." Ignoring the murmurs from Jenkins' team and patting Ben's shoulder as I passed him I hurried from the stuffy room, pulling my cell out of my pocket as soon as I got into my room down the hall. I sank onto the large bed that I'd spent a grand total of four hours in last night before getting up, showering and trying to call Bella again. The oddly-calm notes of her voice had plagued my dreams even after she hung up and sleep hadn't come easy even before that. I'd spent the entire day yesterday trying to complete work early so that there might be the slightest chance I could leave early. There was nothing worse than missing a family holiday especially one I knew was so important to Bella. _Bella, my love, my life._ I'd always adored her love for this holiday in particular. I remembered waking last year to the smell of fresh gingerbread and my children's laughter mixing with my wife's giggles. It was beautiiful and I'd stretched out in a bed saturated with Bella's scent, revelling in it and thanking God for my luck. This year I'd be waking up alone in a bed that smelled of laundry detergent to the sound of room-service trolleys being wheeled up and down the coridoor.

"Hello, Cullen madhouse."

I smiled, "oh, hey Rosie."

"Edward? _Mom!_ _It's Edward!_" She yelled away from the phone. I could hear Mom's voice speaking in the background but it was muffled. "Hi Eddie. How's New Hampshire treating you?"

"Um, it's ok." One of my hands reached up to tug at my hair. "I'd rather be back there with you guys though. What's all that noise?"

"Er, Eddie, incase you'd forgotten it's _Christmas_ so everyone's at your place. The kids are running riot. What'cha expect?" I sighed heavily._ How could I forget?_ Hearing my family having fun made me miss home even more and I tugged my hair again even hearder in frustration. Yet another reminder of my family and the habits Dad had given me.

"Goddammit. I just wanna be back there, you know? It's _Christmas_. What are the kids doing? And Bella?"

"Um, Eddie, I've gotta go. Richard just spit up on Em and you know how he is."

Something about her tone was off and I frowned, "I thought he got better with that."

"Yeah, sometimes...anyway, gotta go. _Lillian, get back here with that bag!_ Bye Eddie, see you soon!" And then she cut me off. Tossing my phone over my shoulder I leaned my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

"Not soon enough, Rosie, not soon enough."

_Knock, knock._ "Edward? Er, Mister Cullen?" Ben rapped on the door twice more before I took a deep breath, composed myself and called out for him to come in. he had his own key card, as usual.

"What's up Ben?" I sighed unhappily, resigned to the fact that it was probably Jenkins being an ass and _requesting _that I come back.

"Jenkins and his men have gone back to their rooms to conference. They, um, didn't seem happy after you left so I suggested that we meet again tomorrow at the prearranged time."

"Ok." I sighed and my hand found my hair again.

"I'm sorry about all this, Edward. I know you want to be at home with your family." Ben pulled a chair away from the table in the corner and set it down opposite me. He coughed and I raised my head to look at him quizzically. "Look, I've been looking at some numbers...making a few calls..." his blank expression gave way to a grin.

"What are you talking about, Ben? Cut to the chase, please."

"You can go home, Edward. Mike and Eric are flying out with their wives as we speak. If you want to book yourself a flight you can be home by midnight tonight." In all the years I'd been working I'd never once hugged an employee. I broke that rule in spectacular fashion within seconds.

**APOV**

_OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod! _We're going to New Hampshire! It's amazing that Bella is basically putting Christmas on hold 'til we find Edward. Luckily Em has access to hit itinerary so we know where he's staying and after a few sham calls to the hotel we got his room number too. So far this morning we've booked our flights for late tonight, booked hotel rooms on the same floor as good ol' Eduardo and gotten the kids so excited you'd think they'd eaten all the sugar in Washington State. They've all been great though.

Sam being the oldest at ten has taken on 'kid keeper' duty – as Em dubbed it. My Landon is the second oldest at eight, then Bella and Edward's Lizzie at seven years old. Next is six year old Lillian, then my Jackson who's five followed by four year old Mia and Jake -born only a week apart- with eleven month old MacKenzie and eight week old Richard bringing up the rear. Nine children, six of them being mostly minded by a ten year old. I have to say though he's doing a fabulous job. MacKenzie and Richard stayed in the playroom with Jazz whilst he checked the others who were playing games and chatting together about how exciting it all way. According to my Jazz, Sam should be being paid for his child minding skills.

Mom, Rose and I have been packing things up for the kids since we got up and so far I've been told off a few -or a lot- of times. Apparently the girls don't need seven dresses just in case and the boys only need a couple of shirts because they're only gonna be inside the hotel once we get there before flying back with Edward. Hopefully that'll be Boxing day. Among my duties for ok'ing the clothes being packed was the fact that I had to organize outfits for everyone tonight as it's Lizzie and Lillian's nativity play at the community hall. At seven pm tonight we'll converge on the hall, watch the play and cheer like the Cullens, McCartys and Whitlocks we are. Then, with Lizzie and Lily still in costume -as per their request and my approval as I did make them after all- we'll make a mad dash to the airport. Edward's gonna love it. I can't just tell. It's a feeling I've got and I'm _almost _never wrong.

"Alice!" Oh, and Bella's job? To organise all of us doing _our _jobs. We all agreed that she was already worrying herself to death about the twins -cue squeal- so she didn't need to be running around all day too. We ganged up and made her stay with Jazz and the kids whilst we sorted everything out. It hadn't been easy to persuade her until the kids stepped in with their pouts. Lets say she gave in pretty quickly when we lined them all up infront of her.

"Yeah?" I wandered into the playroom and giggled at the sight. Em was standing in the middle of the room with a grumbling, pouting Bella cradled in his arms, MacKenzie sitting on one of his shoulders with Dad holding her up and Richard in Bella's arms. "Camera moment!" I squealed, fishing it out of my pocket and snapping a shot. "Bella," I whined, "smile!"

"If you don't I'll tickle you Babybel..." Em warned, digging his fingers in slightly. She smile brightly at once. _Thank you God for making her ticklish. _I snapped another photo and grinned.

"Thanks Em."

He chuckled and winked at me, "no problem, Pixie."

"Can I get down now?" Bella moaned, rocking Richard in her arms and giggling when he blew a bubble at her. Em carefully set her on her feet and leaned in to pull a face at his son. "Thank you."

"Bella, dear, would you like to help me with dinner? I thought we could eat a little early because of the nativity and whatnot." Mom hovered in the doorway with a smile and MacKenzie let out a loud, excited wail, making her beam. "Would you like to help too, MacKenzie?" She bent down to pick her up as MacKenzie crawled to her.

"That'd be great, Esme, thank you." Bella handed Richard to Em before leaving with Mom and MacKenzie, already discussing what they could cook for dinner. Whatever it was with the two of them cooking it was sure to be delicious. Mom had always been the best in my eyes...but since Bella arrived lets say I had a new secret favourite.

"Hey Em, where's Jazz? I thought he was looking after the kids?" Em ruffled my hair, tugged me into his side and cradled Richard in his other arm as he led me out of the room and into the next where I crumbled into hysterical giggles.

My Jazz was laying on the floor, each of the children holding skipping ropes as they pinned him to the ground. Jake stood at his feet, hands on hips and wide grin on his face. "Hey Aunt Ali! We're holdin' Uncle Jazz on the floor!" He cried joyfully, big eyes sparkling.

"Looks...fun..." I managed to get out. Jazz tipped his head and his blond hair fell into his eyes. As he cursed and tried to shake his curls out of the way our little girl laughed and hopped up to help him.

"I got it, Papa." She gently brushed his hair out of the way, kissed his cheek sweetly and plopped down on his stomach.

"_Ungh_, thanks little lady." She giggled and everyone else laughed.

"All right, hows about we make a nice big snowman before dinner? Nana and Babybel are gonna start so we don't have much time!"

"Yeah!" All seven kids flew out of the room after Em had handed me Richard and led them in the direction of the garden. Jazz huffed before rolling onto his stomach and then pushing himself up to his feet.

"Hello darlin'." _Ah, swooning imminent..._he took my hands and planted a soft kiss on my lips before wrapping his arm around my shoulders to lead me and Richard downstairs.

When we got there Rose and Em were putting the kids in their coats, boots, gloves, mittens and hats before ushering them out the back door to make their legendary traditional snowman. Every year since Em joined us we'd had a big competition to make the biggest snowman on the street. At some point or other we'd all pointed out that it wasn't a competition if the rest of the street didn't know about it but he wouldn't listen and continued anyway. Besides, it didn't do any harm and and kids -including the big ones if you know what I mean- loved it. I walked through to the kitchen whilst Jazz went outside. "Hey Alice." Bella greeted me with a smile. She was chopping some kind of vegetable by the looks of things. I have no idea what it was other than that; I'm not a good cook at all. Edward definitely got Mom's cooking skills, I got Dad's numbers with numbers and figures and Rose got our Uncle Aro's skills with engines. It helps with her job as a mechanic, I guess.

"Hey Bella, Mom." Just then Richard began to cry and tug at my shirt. I knew right away what he was after and asked Mom to grab me a bottle for little Richie.

"Oh, of course! Did Rose leave his bag in the living room?"

"Think so." She wiped her hands off on a dish cloth and left the room hurriedly. I lifted Richard to rest against my shoulder.

"Da! Ba, ba, ba, da!" MacKenzie babbled. Across the large, beautiful kitchen, Bella sniffled and I saw her wipe her face on her sleeve.

"Bella," I called quietly, "you ok?"

"Yeah." She laughed but even I could tell there was no humour in it. "Damn onions." Looking around I spotted the whole onion still beside Bella and a lump lodged itself in my throat.

"How many times has she said that? Or, tried to, anyway."

"Quite a few. She first tried yesterday but now she keeps doing it. I'm just really glad that she's gonna see him later, you know? She'll sleep on the place but I'll wake her up to see Edward. He'll want to see her and she misses him." _When we get to Edward I'm gonna slap him silly for hurting his family like this. Doesn't he see what he's done?_

"Yeah, she does." MacKenzie stretched her arms out to me and smiled a gummy grin.

"Sorry baby," I smiled regretfully, "I have no free hands." I loved holding my little niece and playing with her lovely fire engine red curls, looking into those beautiful, unique eyes.

"I have! Hold on right there, little one." Mom bustled back in with Richard's bottle, sticking it in the microwave before scooping up MacKenzie who squealed and cheered delightedly. Thankfully it brought a smile back to Bella's face too.

By the time our loud and cheerful family had crowded round the table and eaten the delicious spag bol Mom and Bella made it was nearly time to go to the nativity. Lillian, Lizzie and I had an impromptu practice whilst I was getting them into their costumes; Lizzie as Mary and Lillian as the angel Gabriel. They looked delightful already but just to make them look even better I loosely curled Lillian's hair with some curlers and brushed Lizzie's hair 'til it was straight as a whip, wrapping the blue bandana round her head once it was perfect. "Aunt Ali, I won't mess up my lines, will I? I don't wanna ruin in." Lizzie confided as we walked down the stairs hand in hand.

I beamed down at her, "of course not! You're a brilliant Mary, you know all your lines and you can recite them perfectly just like Lily is a brilliant angel." My nieces beamed up at me, emerald green and sky blue eyes meeting my forest green ones.

"Oh Lily, you look like a princess!" Em boomed as we entered the living room. She giggled before running to her dad and throwing her arms around him.

"Oh Daddy you silly nut, I'm not a _princess_, I'm and _angel_!" He grinned and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She wiped it off with disgust but smiled all the same.

"Sorry angel." I looked down at Lizzie's forlorn expreesion, knowing she was sad her own Daddy wasn't here to comment. "Hey Lizzie, you look b-e-a-u-tiful too. Prettiest Mary I ever did see." Em opened his arms to Lizzie too and they both hugged him tight. Bella teared up and mouthed 'thank you' to Em, who just winked before tucking one under each arm as he stood, making them shriek with laughter. "All righty then, we ready to go?"

"I think so." Dad glanced around at us all and smiled, "come on then everyone. Let's get to this nativity!" We ushered all the kids out and into cars. Bella's SUB had enough room for her four, Lily and Mom, Dad got in the car with Rose, Em and Richard and I got in Jazz's car with him and our three hooligans.

"Mom, can I be in the natiwity play next year?" Mia asked as we cruised slowly down the road, the snow making up for the lack of speed bumps.

I smiled wide and turned to face her in my seat, "of course you can, baby! You can audition with Lily and Lizzie, and Landon and Jackson can too!"

"Oh, will you JJ? You too, Donny?" Jazz snickered at the nicknames our little lady had given our boys; they groaned. Loudly.

"Mom!" Landon whispered harshaly.

"Oh _pwease_ Donny! It'll be fun! You can be Joseph and I can be Mawy!" He groaned again, slumping back into his seat.

"It's not 'til next year, Mimi. I'll think about it." She squealed and clapped her hands happily, bouncing on her car seat so Jackson's shook too beside her.

"She gets that from you, darlin'." Jazz told me quietly with a smirk.

"Yes sir'e. Although she definitely gets her persuasive skills from both of us." He nodded with a great big grin.

"With my baby blue eyes..."

"And my puppy dog pout..."

"She gets anything she wants!" Her brothers snickered in unison when Mia cried out, "who? Who gets what she wants?"

"No one, little lady. No one." Jazz assured her in his charming Southern drawl, the first thing that attracted me to him.

"Hello, and welcome to the Forks Miniature Players Nativity! We'll have a few moments to get everything ready and then we'll begin." Christine, the lady running the Miniature Players, introduced the play a few minutes later and we sat and watched as twenty or so children performed a wonderful addaptation of the traditional nativity scenes. As we all knew they would be the girls were great, and we cheered for Lily when she floated in in her little white dress on a wheelchair decorated as a cloud and for Lizzie when she made her entrance with her Joseph – a seven year old boy called Mike who held her hand and gazed at her with a little too much adoration to be acted. _Looks like Lizzie's got herself an admirer_, I thought with glee. And how funny that Edward put up with a much older Mike's unwelcome advances on Bella back in high school. The children were all great and had us in stitches and shedding tears as they recited their lines with child-like vigor. It was heart-rending and I couldn't wait for my three to join in next year. Around fifteen minutes into the performance the curtains closed and Christine walked back onto the stage. "Ok folks, we're just going to take a short break before we conclude the performance. There are refreshments at the back of the hall, please feel free to help yourselfes. And your children are...already out. Here they are!" The children suddenly all ran out and down the stairs either side of the stage, Lizzie and Lily skipping hand in hand towards us. Just as I was about to cheer out how great they'd been, there was a familiar voice crying out behind me.

"Oh _God_, please tell me I haven't missed it." _What the..._I spun round at the same time as everyone else and we all stared at the latecomer in silence and shock. Well, almost all of us.

"Dada!"


	4. Baby It's Cold Outside

**EPOV**

Sitting in the first class section on the plane my heart was hammering and my head was whirling with thoughts. _Got to get home for my Bella. My kids._ It had been just as I was leaving the hotel I remembered that tonight was my princess' nativity play. She'd been practicing with Em and Rose's Lizzie for weeks now and I knew she'd be the best Mary there ever was. I almost smiled, remembering the week before I left to come here to New Hampshire when Bella and I looked after Lizzie for Em and Rose and the girls gave us a catwalk in the costumes Alice made them. My memory was so clear because it'd been easy to see the girls as twins, their faces so similar and personalities so startlingly complimentary. My girls, getting ready with Sam and Jake watching proudly and MacKenzie babbling happily. It had been a turning point for me; this wasn't my life anymore. Flying all over the country whilst my family was back in Washington. My kids were growing up and changing so much in the time I was away and I seemed to spend more time travelling than tucking them into bed or showing my wife how much I loved her. Everything was slipping away and it frightened me. It was all that much worse since that phone call from Bella when she said we need to talk when I get back. _Back_, not home. I may be wrong but I was sure that was the first time she hadn't told me she was looking forward to seeing me. It hurt. Bad.

As I waited for the plane to take off memories of my life with Bella and the kids filtered through my mind. The day that I married Bella was one of the most poignant. She had looked radiant in her floor length gown, hair curled and piled atop her head with her neck on display for my hungry eyes and eager lips. Nothing could ever compare to that memory although there were a few that came close. On Bella's eighteenth birthday, thre months after mine, I bought an engagement ring and rushed straight to Charlie's to ask for his blessing. I had never expected to receive a cold shoulder from Charlie when we usually get along so well and then be accosted by my emotional wreck of a girlfriend. She dragged me into the living room and broke down, mumbling out that she was pregnant. _Pregnant._ It had taken a while for the word to float around in my mind before I whipped out the ring and proposed on the spot. Needless to say it was a bit of a shock when she slapped me round the face, burst into fresh tears and ran to her room, the door slamming over Charlie's guffaws a minute later as I knelt on the living room floor, my cheek on fire and a diamond Tiffany's engagement ring in my hand. "She's been like that all day, son." With that he asked me politely to leave and call later, yelling as I walked down the path to my car, "just so ya know, you've got _my_ blessing!" Two months and thirteen proposals later she finally agreed. It took quite a bit of convincing to get her believing that I genuinly wanted to marry her and that it wasn't just out of obligation to her because she was pregnant. Of course, the whole ordeal was overshadowed when Bella was rushed to hospital two days later and we were told that we'd lost our baby.

"Can I interest you in a pack of peanuts, sir?" A nasally voice interrupted my morose thoughts and I snapped my head round to look at the woman it came from. Tall, bleach blonde, orange and leggy. That was the kind of woman my friends had pursued and bragged about through high school and after. The fake ones. However I'd never needed fake. I had the real thing, the _beautiful_ thing, already. I'd wanted her ever since the day I laid eyes on her and it had been my mission for three months to get her attention before I plucked up the courage to ask her out with her favorite candy and flower; information I wrangled out of Rose and Alice. She'd blushed crimson and nodded bashfully, and we'd been together ever since.

The first time I saw Bella Swan was at the beginning of that semester. My parents moved Rose, Alice and I across the country when Dad got a new job at Forks hospital. I'd been walking through the parking lot, a sister either side of me and my eyes trained on the main office doors when a flash of mahogany hair running towards a rumbling motorcycle made caught my gaze. My eyes had followed the insane girl as she chased the black, snarling bike until it came to a standstill and the rider removed his helmet. He was obviously from the reservation Mom had taken Alice and I to the other day to pick up Dad's birthday present: a handmade bracelet with a book on the history of the Quileute people's history. He was tall with dark skin and black hair hanging to his shoulders. I could see from where I was standing, about a hundred metres away, that he was muscled beyond belief. The nameless girl squealed and launched herself at the guy, giggling loud as he chuckled and whispered something in her ear. The irrational surge of jealously I felt rushing through my twelve year old body had me rooted in the spot I'd unknowingly stopped on. I watched for a few minutes as the girl chatted with the huge guy before kissing his cheek and skipping back into the school. Rose and Alice finally dragged me into reception where we signed in and went to our first period. I would later discover that the guy was Bella's dad's best friend's son, and he was killed two weeks later by a drunk driver ramming into the bike with his truck. Samuel Jacob Black was eighteen years old when he died and Bella had decided on the day of his funeral that she'd name any sons she had later after him. I was only too willing to cooperate when I fathered our boys years later.

The plane ride was excrutiatingly slow and I felt myself getting more and more agitated as the time crawled by. Eventually a tap on my shoulder alerted me to the fact that I was fidgeting and probably getting on my neighbour's nerves. I turned and smiled sheepishly at the older woman grinning at me. "I'm so sorry Ma'am, for disturbing you. I'm a little nervous I guess."

"Oh, I wasn't going to say you were disturbing me." I frowned questioningly. "I simply noticed you looked a little antsy and I wondered if you'd like someone to talk to." And that was how I found myself opening up and explaining every detail of my life to a sixty two year old woman from Port Angeles called Maggie Garrett. Before I knew it the captain was asking everyone to belt up as we began our descent into SeaTac.

"Thank you Maggie, you've been a great help. I was wonderful to meet you and I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year." I told her sincerely, kissing her cheek and smiling as she wrapped me in a hug.

"You're welcome, young man. You get back there and cheer your little one on, and make good with that wife of yours. You don't need me to tell you she's a keeper." We said goodbye and I ran towards the carousel to get my bags so I didn't miss Lizzie's nativity. If I did I'd never forgive myself and neither would my family.

The community center that was holding the nativity was deserted from the outside when the cab pulled up and I threw a few bills at the driver, shouting my thanks before running inside. A pimply faced kid with slicked-back black hair was stting at the doors playing a PSP. He glanced up at me as I got to him, holding a leaflet out towards me. "Three dollars and fifty seven cents please sir." He rattled off.

"I have a ticket." He looked up briefly and nodded, waving one arm at the double doors behind him. With a huff I strode to the doors and threw one open, only to see a torrent of kids running off the stage and towards their families to big smiles and loud applause. Streaks of auburn and blonde caught my attention and I spotted my family standing to one side, welcoming Lizzie and Lily with proud grins. _Oh God, please tell me I didn't miss it. Please, please, please..._

"Oh _God_, please tell me I haven't missed it." At the sound of my voice my whole family turned and stared at me, varying emotions on each of their faces. Dad looked knowing, an almost smile tugging at his lips. Mom had tears in her eyes, one hand covering her mouth. Rose and Alice scowled openly only the latter looked slightly more friendly. Em and Jazz grinned. My oldest nephews were talking quietly, Mia on Jackson's lap with her head on his shoulder. Sam was shooting me the oddest mix of a glare and a wide-eyed excited look at me. Jake was grinning, his little body making the chair shake as he bounced oon it. Lizzie and Lily had big, breathtaking smiles on their faces and then I turned to Bella, cradling my little Kenzers. She looked shocked, pained, excited, worried, and blissfully happy with love spilling out of her eyes. I gasped as I was addressed.

"Dada!" My Kenzers cried, her brilliant eyes shining as she stretched in her Mom's arms and tried to get to me with her chubby little hands.

"Kenzers..." I choked out, stepping towards Bella so I could wrap my arms around them both. "I'm so, so sorry, Bella. I'm gonna explain this, I promise. Can we just, get through this and go home, then we'll talk? Please?" She nodded after a couple of secnds before Kenzers gripped my jacket and planted a sloppy, wet kiss on my cheek. "Hello, princess." I chuckled, taking her and blowing raspberries all over her face so she giggled loudly. _Music to my ears..._"Hey everyone, merry Christmas." With that Lizzie and Lily leapt on me and wrapped their arms around my legs whilst Jake used his chair as a springboard and flung himself onto my back.

Ten minutes later the leader of the club called the kids back so they could scramble into position. My family had welcomed me back, hugs and kisses all round, the most poignant being the desperate hug of Sam. As he wrapped his arms around my neck and gripped me tight, his breath whooshing out as I'm sure he whispered an apology in my ear before pulling back to grin at me. Jake perched on one of my knees whilst Mia took the other and they explained to me what had happened so far in loud whispers.

"That boy ova 'dere is Lizzie's Josef and they haved a baby togetha." Mia told me seriously, pointing towads the manger where my little girl was cradling a baby in a blanket with a blond kid's arm around her. He was giving my baby the eye and I scowled.

"_Dad_? He's not lis'nen. Mia, jump down an' kick him. Momma does it all the time." Jake told her quietly. I only just managed to refocus before she actually did it.

"No, Mia, don't listen to him. Hitting and kicking is bad, right buddy?" Jake nodded with a huff and cheeky wink making Mia giggle and me ruffle his hair with a happy smile. They pair of them snuggled into my chest.

"Dad, are you goin'a stay for Chwistmas? Momma fought you weren't gonna." He said quietly a minute later. I stiffened and sighed, tugging Jake against me harder.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, buddy, I promise. I'm staying home now so I can spend more time with you guys." He looked up at me with his Mom's sad eyes.

"Promise?" I nodded, kissing his hair as he settled back and sighed. Suddenly a tingling sensation started at my neck and made its way up my face. I recognized it all too well and turned my head, suppressing a smile, to meet Bella's gaze.

"I'm sorry." I mouthed. She nodded, an odd emotion crossing through her eyes before she smiled a little and moouther that she loves me, which I of course replied with a goofy grin.

"Uh, Bells, switch places with me." Rose hissed. Bella didn't need to be told twice and carefully crouched and swapped places, soon sitting beside me so we could actually speak instead of mouthing words across my sister.

"I really am sorry, Bella. I was this close to walking when that toss-_er_, idiot, rearranged the meeting." My hand twitched, wanting to reach up for my hair but being blocked by the children on me. Then there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to face Jazz. "What's up?"

"Gimme. Me and Ali are gonna take 'em back to yours and get 'em settled. That ok?"

I smiled gratefully, "thanks Jazz, Ali." Ali gave me thumbs up as I passed their daughter to Jazz and Jake to her. They told us to tell the rest of the family and to enjoy the play before sneaking out without disturbing too many people. With my arms free I wrapped one around Bella and reached up with my other hand to cup her cheek.

"As soon as we get home I need to talk to you about something and it really can't wait. I know I've been a jerk and I'm gonna make it up to you and the kids, I swear." Bella gazed into my eyes for a few, agonizing moments before leaning in and pressing her lips to mine. She didn't try to deepen the kiss and neither did it. We just kissed gently and unhurriedly until I tilted my head forward and rested our foreheads together. Out eyes met and our lips turned up into matching smiles. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too." She replied, kissing me quickly once before snuggling into my side as we both turned back to face the stage.

"Was I good, Daddy? Did you see me? Wasn't Mike the _best_ Joseph ever? Marie looked really silly in her dress, she should'a bought anotha one. Lily and me did the best performance ever didn't we, Daddy?" Lizzie reeled off her words so quickly I had difficulty understanding, chuckling as I tickled her sides and carried her out of the hall.

"You were the best, princess, and Lily was too." She blushed at my praise and rested her head on my shoulder with her arms around my neck and her body cradled like a bride in my arms. Not that she'd ever be a bride. Over my dead body is she getting married. Ever. I know what married couples are like. What they get up to after the kids have gone to bed.

"You know, Lizzie, you could be an actress like my Lily when you grow up." Em commented as everyone piled into cars.

"Ooh, Daddy! Can I? Can I _please_?" She leaned up and used the patented Cullen Pout on me, complete with big green eyes.

"Ask me again when you're bigger and I'll let you know. Uncle Em's just bein' an idiot." Her eyes grew wide and she clapped both hands over her mouth. There was another gasp from beside me and further inspection revealed Lily in the same pose in Em's arms. He grinned and guffawed.

"Get with the times, Eddie. Babybel don't like the word I-D-I-O-T. It's a _bad word_." He winked over exaggeratedly and the girls giggled. I ignored the unpleasant pang that accompanied the knowledge that I'd been missing things, even if it was the banning of a 'bad word'.

"Oops, sorry ladies. Uncle Em's being _silly_, is that better?" They nodded, grinning widely at each other. Rose dragged Em and Lily into their car, then, and I joined Bella, Sam, Lizzie and Kenzers in my car with Mom.

"Dada..." Kenzers mumbled sleepily as I slid in beside her and Sam with Lizzie signing a hymn in the back.

"Dad's here, baby girl." I kissed her cheek and she closed her eyes with an adorable yawn.

"Her first word...she first said it when she saw you earlier, Edward." Bella told me softly, her pride and excitement shining through in just her tone; it spread to me straight away. _Her first word...Dada..._I felt an insurmountable surge of happiness that I hadn't missed it. That would have killed me.

"Wow..." I reverently ran my fingers through her bright red curls. "That's..." words failed me.

"Precious. Absolutely precious." Mom said quietly when I trailed off, turning in her chair slightly so she could smile at me and Kenzers. "When we get back I'll get the kids in their pj's and you two can catch up." She shot a look at Bella, to which she nodded slightly. _Wonder what that's about? _"Do you want them to stay up for a while?"

"Jake and Mia are already at home and asleep, most likely, but whoever's up can stay for a bit. Kenzers not included of course." Bella decided after a short deliberation. Sam did a fist pump and I turned myself so I was facing him more.

"So, how're you doin', buddy? School all right?" He grinned but it turned into a scowl when Bella giggled up front.

"Oh Sam's doing brilliantly, Edward. Shall I tell your dad, or are you going to?" He shot a pathetic glare towards Bella and I smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders playfully.

"Come on son, share with your ol' Dad." Sam rolled his eyes in a perfect impression of me and huffed in defeat.

"I've...girl...called...Harrison." He mumbled quietly, a light blush staining his cheeks. The grin on my face streatched impossible wider and I pulled him against me in jest.

"What was that? You've got a, what?" Pleading eyes met mine for a second. I didn't budge so he huffed again.

"I've got a girlfriend called Emily Harrison. She's in my grade and she's super smart." A smile lit up his face as he talked about her and I realized quickly that he adored her. The look on his face was similar to the one that littered hundreds of photos of me and Bella around the time we started dating.

A wide grin stretched my face and my heart thumped, "Sam, that's great!"

"She's got a little sista too! She's called Leah and she's in my grade, Daddy." Lizzie sung from the back seat. I turned to smile at her too.

"Wow, that's great, princess! Is she nice?"

Lizzie's eyes widened comically with excitement and it made me chuckle. "Yeah. She's real nice, Daddy. She shared her cookies with me the other day."_ Such simple pleasures. _

"That's good. So Sam, when do we get to meet her? I'm sure your Mom would love to have her over for dinner." A sinking feeling settled in my guy as Sam shared a look with Bella in the rear-view, Mom clearing her throat over the awkward pause.

"She's been over a couple of times since you've been away, sweetheart." Bella said quietly, throwing an apologetic, soft smile.

"She had s'ketty bol'naise with us." Lizzie added cheerfully.

"Yeah, um, her mom said she can come over before we go back to school though, so..." he gazed up at me warily, and our eyes, different colours but so very similar, locked. As I looked into his I saw the worry, hope and dejection there already as he expected me to say I was flying out again. It made me overjoyed to be able to grin and assure him that I wasn't going anywhere for a while. "You're serious? You'll meet her?" He was still wary, that was clear, but the shift was easy to see. The confidence in my voice reassured him a little but it killed me to see that was still holding back because of how I'd treated them before, because of the probably hundreds of broken promises I'd made. It would be different now thought. I had a surprise for them all and hopefully it would get us back on track as a family.

"I'm serious. I can't wait to meet your girl, Sam. She sounds great, I'm proud of you." He grinned, ducking his head as his cheeks flushed and I chuckled, hugging him tight. "I know you were angry at me for messing up your birthday, so I got you an extra present. I'll put it under the tree and you'll know what it is as soon as you open it. I'm so sorry, son. I should have come through and I'm going to make it up to all of you." Sam looked up at me through his lashes and frowned before squeezing me just as hard as I was squeezing him. We spent the rest of the car journey wrapped up in each others' arms.

When we got home Mom and Dad took the kids upstairs to get changed whilst Rose, Em, Ali and Jazz made themselves scare and Bella led me to the conservatory. We needed to talk. As I sank onto the sofa beside my wife the nerves that I'd been suppressing all day resurfaced ten-fold. Strange how when faced with a hall full of pissed off contractors I had nerves of still yet my wife could reduce me to a wreck without even knowing it. "I don't know where to start." She eventually admitted, smiling bashfully as I linked our hands together and took a deep breath.

"Bella, I love you, and I love our children. I love our house, our jobs, our _life_, but I've let things get out of hand and I'm so, _so_ damn sorry. Every time I got a call from work saying they needed me I made them my first priority. That was unfair of me, completely wrong. When the kids were sick, when you were sick, when it was your birthdays and I was across the country with _adults _who are capable of doing their jobs without me I was failing you all. As a husband, a lover, a father, a son, an uncle, a brother...I've failed you all, Bella. I'll never be able to make up for any of that but I'll damn well spend the rest of my life trying." She sniffled, tears running down her cheeks as she smiled tenderly. I lifted a hand and cradled her soft cheek, wiping the moisture awway with my thumb as she closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. _Beautiful_. "Bella, _I love you_, and I always will." I gently let go of her other hand and pulled a small, velvet box from my pant pocket, smiling sheepishly when I moved off the sofa and got to one knee infront of her. Bella's gorgeous chocolate eyes widened as she took in my stance. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, filling my lungs to bursting before opening them and meeting her shocked gaze. "Isabella Marie Cullen, you're the mother of my precious children, the love of my life, the keeper of my heart...will you please do me the honour of marrying me...again?"

And that was how, on Christmas Eve, with fresh snow falling all around us in the glass room, I waited for my heart to be broken to pieces or the cracks to be cemented back together.


	5. It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas

**EsmePOV**

"Dear, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"When have I ever been wrong about my children, Carlisle?" I replied sweetly, smiling at my husband as I changed MacKenzie into her reindeer sleep-suit and he helped a sleepy Jake into his Spiderman onesie.

He chuckled ruefully, "you're right. As usual." Carlisle's expression turned thoughtful. "Do you think she'll tell him tonight?"

I took a few moments to think about it. "Bella will do what is right for her family, but I suspect she'll wait until tomorrow to tell him." He grinned and nodded, prompting a rush of love for him. We'd been married almost forty years and still the emotions he inspired in me coursed strong as ever through my veins. It had only made my heart grow fonder as our three children were born. First Edward, the Rosalie and shortly after her first birthday, Alice. I watched him take care of the lives we created with the same amount of love and adoration that he'd always showered me with. With everything that he did he put his heart and soul into it, always has. From golfing to his job as a paediatritian and obstetritian and everything in between he excelled but by far his best talents were as a husband, father and grandfather.

Growing up with strict, uncaring parents I'd always believed true love to be a fantasy; it would never be mine. My mother drilled it into me again and again that should I ever marry it should and would be for money, not love. After all, it's just hormones, she'd say. My father forced me into the arms of many a man in my teenage years but none of them were right. None of them were Carlisle. When I met him the day after my eighteenth birthday it suddenly dawned on me that everything my mother had said was a lie. _Love_. Within a day the fair haired young man had captured my heart and within the year we were married. Ten years later our beautiful boy arrived with my hair and eyes and Carlisle's strong, handsome features. It didn't matter to me that my so-called parents weren't there to share in our joy because they didn't deserve it anyway. As our family grew so did our love and now with nine children -and two more on the way- we would share it out.

"Pops, don't people pwopose when they wanna get married?" Jake murmured suddenly, pressing his face to the window. I glanced at Carlisle and smiled as if to say, he's definitely related to you. They were masters of the random questions.

"Well, yes. Why'd you ask, Jake?"

"I thought Mom and Dad were already married, though." He commented thoughtfully. Carlisle and I shared a look before rushing to the window, peering down through the clear roof of the conservatory. Within moments the rest of our family was gathering round the window as they'd heard what Jake said. We all waited with baited breath as Bella looked down at Edward, on one knee, with a stunned expression. A loud cheer burst forth as she threw herself into his arms and they toppled over, laughing and smiling. Tears rolled down my cheeks unendingly and Carlisle wrapped me in his arms as MacKenzie tugged sleepily on my hair.

**EPOV**

Christmas morning, 2011. I woke up quite possibly the happiest man alive. My wife had agreed to marry me, again, even though I'd acted despicably to her and our family for the past two yeas. I was putting things right and it felt great. With my eyes still shut I rolled over beneath the covers and felt for the warm body I'd fallen asleep wrapped around. _What? Where is..._Amnused giggles made me jump and my eyes shot open, setling on my four beautiful children when I tipped my head up. Sam, Lizzie, Jake and Kenzers were all sitting on the end of my bed, Kenzers in her oldest brother's lap and Jake snuggling into Lizzie's side. "Merry Christmas, Daddy!" Lizzie beamed, unleashing the full power of her bright, emerald eyes. The other all followed suit, even my little princess Kenzers as she cried "Dada!" and threw her arms out for me. I blew a lout raspberry on her chubby cheek because I knew she loved it almost as much as I love hearing her squeals. _How could I ever have put this aside for work?_

"Mornin' kids. Merry Christmas." I grinned at them, feeling my heart swell with so much happiness I was almost worried it'd burst. "Well, do I get hugs or what?" Jake laughed and launched himself across the bed, mindful of his baby sister, and Lizzie and Sam were quick to follow the example he set. That was how my Bella found us a few minutes later, curled up together beneath the cover with our limbs all tangled. She beamed and set the bag of presents she'd been carrying at the foot of the bed before putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't recall Mommy getting a big hug from all my babies?" She teased, her sparkling brown eyes shining happily. Jake rolled his eyes, a trait he got from me and I from my own dad, before grinning at his Mom.

"Mo-_om_. I gace you a _huge_ hug!" Just to further prove his point he held his arms out as wide as he could and slapped Sam in the shoulder. As he burst into crazy giggles at Sam's grimace Bella laughed, a high, bell-like sound that made my whole body warm.

"All right, all right. Who wants presents?"

"Me!"

"I do, please!"

"Oh, yeah!"

"All _right_!"

"Dada, ba ba na-na!"

Watching out kids tear through the wrapping paper from us, Bella and I snuggled up to each other against the headboard and I turned to kiss her. "Merry Christmas Mrs Cullen." I murmured, my customary saying for every Christmas since we got married. She smiled at me before kissing my jaw hotly and whispering quiet words.

"Right back at'cha, Mr Cullen." She hummed.

"_Woah_! Awesome!" Jake's teeth were all bared with his grin as he held up the remote control helicopter we'd gotten him, smiling at us in delight. "Thanks Mom, thanks Dad!"

"No problem, buddy. Make sure to get Uncle Em on that later." I winked at him as he nodded and brushed a lock of hair from his eyes so he could get to work on the next present. Our little baby girl was randomly ripping paper off her presnets; she seemed more interested in the paper than the actual gifts themselves. Bella scooped her up and sat her in her lap, helping take paper off. Inside one was a pink bunny rabbit and she squealed loudly, latching onto its ear with her mouth and ignoring the rest.

"Jacob, no spit-balling." I looked up in surprise at Bella's cautioning tone and turned to see our youngest son just about to launch a slobbery ball of paper at his sister. She hadn't even looked away from Kenzers.

"Aw, Mom." He whined, tossing the paper into the trash bag beside the bed. "How did you even see that?"

Bella laughed lightly, "I'm a mom. We see everything, remember that, Jakey."

"Oh yeah? Well how come dads don't?" He grinned triumphantly, sure he'd won. I knew from fifteen years of experience that you rarely beat Bella.

"Because, darling son of mine, it's usually your dad teaching you the bad habits in the first place." The kids all looked to me, waiting for my reaction.

I shrugged with a grin. "Guilty as charged." They rolled their eyes, got back to their presents and missed the cheeky kiss I planted on my wife's face as well as the blush that covered her face afterwards.

An hour later we were all downstairs opening the rest of the family's presents. The atmosphere was amazing and I was overwhelmed when it occurred to me that I'd almost missed this. The sound of Bella's favourite Christmas music playing over the speakers, the scent of pine wafting through the air from the huge tree in the corner, the tearing of wrapping paper as the kids all tore it apart, the excited squeals, giggles and cheers, the chuckle and laughed and "hell yeah"'s from Em. The best part of it all by far was the enormous smile that stayed on Bella's face from the moment we got up. For as long as I'd known her Christmas was her favorite holiday and she cherished these days with our family. Soon Sam would grow out of a lot of this stuff but we still had lots of years with out little baby girl, Jake and Lizzie. Seeing my children, nieces and nephews on the floor showing off their presents, giggling and smiling non-stop with sheer joy was one of the best feelings in the world. I hoped it'd never change. "You all right, baby? You've been really quiet today. It's not like you." I wrapped an arm around Bella's waist and pulled her to me. She sighed and snuggled into my warmth, holding my henley in her fists gently.

"I'm all right, actually." She grinned up at me and I couldn't help myself, leaning down to place tender kisses to her lips.

"Have you opened your gifts yet?"

Bella shook her head, "no. All the adults are doing theirs after the kids are done."

I smiled, "ok."

Bella and I spent a few more minutes chatting before Sam hurried over, a bright red box in his hands. "Dad...I...where did you get..._how?_" He croaked with a bright smile. I knelt down and lifted the lid off the box, setting it on the floor before cradling my son's face in my hands so I could meet his eyes.

"Samuel Anthony Cullen, you are my first born, my son, and I love you. I know I've been a sucky guy for the last two years and I've hurt you all. It'll take some time for me to make it up to you but I figured this might be a good start." He grinned wide, nodding enthusiastically.

"Dad! It's a great start! Mom, look, Dad got me a Seattle Seahawks shirt!" Bella gasped dramatically with a wink towards me.

"Wow, that's great! Are you gonna put it on? Your uncles are gonna be real jealous. Pops too." Sam's smile morphed into a cheeky one.

"Brill idea, Mom." Sam whipped off his pyjama shirt and pulled on the Seahawks one, looking down at himself with his mouth open wide. Bella gasped just as Em yelled out, "holy-freaking-shizzballs!" I grinned, anticipating his next reaction. Selling a house to the manager of your state's football team can definitely come in hady when your family support them. That was how I managed to get every single one of the team to sign the shirt, the manager, and in the bottom of the box were tickets to every home game for the next season; I made a vow that I wouldn't miss any of them with my boy.

Finally it was time for the adults to open their gifts. I had thought long and hard on what to get. The kids had been easy, really. The new toy this or the new game that. Easy peasy. The adults? Not so easy. In the end I got Mariners tickets for Em and Jazz. Rose and Ali each got new charms for the charm bracelets I got them on their twenty-first birthdays. Mom and Dad's present was an eight week long cruise around the caribbean. They'd been talking about it for years but something always came up. Usually it was me heading off on a trip, but they didn't need to worry about it this year. The present that was really worrying me was my Bella's. Usually if she wanted something I'd just go out and buy it throughout the year so when it came to Christmas I didn't know what to get. Eventually I'd settled on something simple but that I knew, _or hoped_, she'd love. All of the couples took turn opening their gifts and Bella and I were last. She handed me an envelope and I handed her the square packagae, chuckling as she shook it by her ear to see if it rattled; it didn't. "Hm, what could this be...?" She teased, already knowing roughly what it was. She tore gently into the paper and took a deep breath just as she pulled it out, her hand flying to cover her mouth. I saw the tears and panicked. _Shit_.

"Baby, what's wrong? I thought you'd like it, but we can always get you someth-"

"No! It's...it's perfect, Edward. I love it. Thank you." She ran her fingertip over our faces, stopping on the chubby cheeks of our newborn Kenzers. The photograph had been taken at Dad's birthday party in March, only two months after Kenzers was born. Bella and I were in the middle with my arm around her, Kenzers in her arms between us with Sam on Bella's other side, Lizzie beside me and Jake on the back of the sofa with one elbow on my head and one on his mom's. We were all beaming brightly, laughing at the faces Em was pulling behind Ali's camera. When I'd been looking for a good photo to give to Bella this one just jumped out at me. It'd been expensive to get it blown up and touched up but Bella had given me her love and our four beautiful children; nothing could compare to that.

"Baby, this is...it's the best present you could have...honestly." She turned to kiss me and I felt the hot tears on my face, then on my thumb as I gently wiped them awak. "You blow me away every day. I'm sorry I shouted at you on the phone and you know this is your home. You have to work, I get that and so do the kids. We're your family and we'll always be here waiting for you."

"My beautiful Bella..." she leant into palm resting on her cheek, closing her eyes with a serene smile. "I _adore_ you all and you won't have to wait for me, ok? I'm staying put now. The business can cope without me there all the time. They're big boys and girls. From now on I'm managing the Forks branch primarily so I don't have to leave very much at all. You guys mean everything to me." I felt tears in my own eyes and quickly blinked them away, waiting for Bella to say something.

"Open it." She whispered suddenly.

"Huh?" I frowned, not comprehending what she was saying.

"The envelope. Your present." She was smiling softly but her features held a hint of nervousness and I felt a spike of my own as I wondered what was in the envelope. Slowly and carefully I pulled out a tab and pulled the small slip of paper out, turning it over in my hand and taking a deep breath.

"Front or back?"

Bella giggled and my family tittered quietly. "C'mon, I'll show you." She took my hand and gently tugged me up. She took me to the back door where our shoes were already placed side-by-side with out coatso on the bathroom door.

"Baby, why is it outside?"

Bella glanced up at me sheepishly, "it was the kids' idea."

"Ok." Once we had our stuff on she led me outside after taking a deep breath. A few brave birds were singing outside and the sun was trying to peek out from behind snow clouds. About five meters away from the back porch a bright red flag stuck out from the snow. I couldn't see anything beneath it so I trudged over, glancing back at Bella when she dropped my hand and pushed me towards it softly.

"It's under there." She breathed.

I used the small shovel beside the flag to dig down. A wooden box suddenly became visible so I pulled it out, holding it up so Bella could see. "This it?" I called back, wondering at Bella's worried expression.

"Er, yeah. That's it." She replied quietly, ringing her hands infront of her hoodie and winter coat.

"All righty then." With a slightly nervous flourish I brushed the snow off the box, all too aware of the peeping eyes in the conservatory where our family was gathered. I walked briskly back to Bella, caressing her cheek gently. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing...I just...please, look inside."

"Ok." The length of the box in my hand was smaller than my fingertip to wrist and the width was even less, but whatever was inside was clearly making Bella panic. _What the heck _is _it? _I pried the catch open with chilly fingers and pulled out the small envelope that matched the first. Then I handed Bella the box and opened the tab of the envelope. Inside was another sheet of square paper and I pulled it out, turning it over so I could see the picture on the front.

"Hey, Bella...this looks surprisingly like a...a...it looks like a, erm, ultrasound scan. Why are there two little letters, though...?" It suddenly sunk it and I grinned widely, ridiculously happy for whoever it was this picture belonged to. "Holy hell, it's twins! Who's having twins?" I looked up with a chuckle, suspecting that Ali and Jazz were going to have _a lot_ of sleepless nights when I realized that Bella wouldn't be giving _me_ the scan if that were true. She also wouldn't look like she was about to pass out in the snow whilst I laughed my head off. _Oh shit_. _These aren't my sister's babies..._ "Are they...are _we_?" And then the age old Cullen curse hit me just before I hit the snow. I fainted.


	6. I'll be home for Christmas

**Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken so long for this update, but life's been kicking my butt and I hope this  
>will be worth the wait :) Beneath the Snow's sure been a journey for me to write and you to read I guess,<br>and it's been a year or so since the last chapter was posted for Christmas. This will probably be the last  
>for at least a while. There're a few other projects I'm working on and one I'm beta'ing for my friend DaniDoLittle.<br>**

**Go on over and check her story out, _Thunderous Quiet_. It's on my fav's list and she's in my author's list if  
>you want to find her that way. She's flovely and I adore her. Big love Dani!<strong>

****I also need to tell everyone that I've revamped all the chapters and minor changes have been made, so if you'd like to go back and re-read those, feel free although it's not compulsory.****

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, recc'd, added me and BTS to their alerts and fav's. You're all amazing!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six ~ I'll be home for Christmas<strong>

**EPOV**

"Elizabeth Cullen, if you wanna come get your butt down here!" I snickered but abruptly stopped when there was a smack to the back of my head.

"Ouch, woman, what was that for?" Bella scowls when I turn and face her, but my sore expression turns happy again at the sight. My beautiful wife is exactly that; beautiful. Especially with my two little ones in her arms. Bella went into labour with our twins on June fifteeth at thirty six weeks four days. I remember the day fondly.

"_Jakey do your Momma a favor and pass me the chips, pleeeease?" Jake giggled and hopped off the couch to pass his mom the chips from the table. I cringed and shifted away from her slightly, sighing and moving back a moment later at her betrayed and hurt expression. The damn eyes do it every freaking time. "Thank you honeybunch."_

"_No worries, Mommy dearest." Bella and I shared an amused look at Jake's newest phrase. He'd picked it up from Em and now he wouldn't stop saying it. I suppose it's better than his last one though. I won't go into details but we were hearing about women's asses wayyyy too much considering it was our four year old saying it._

"_Bella, love, d'you think you could like, breath over that way?" As the words spilled out of my mouth Sam turned away from his DS and blinked wide-eyed at me whilst I shut my eyes tight and cursed quietly._

"_You...you think I...smell?" Oh fantastic. I turned on the sofa and held Bella's face in between my hands. The cravings during this pregnancy had been kicking my ass and I've lost count of the midnight trips I've run to McDonalds only to get back and find her munching on something else. Usually -to my disgust- it's cheesy Doritos she's after. The smell of them makes me feel sick but Bella has bags of them stashed all over the house at this point. I won't begrudge her nice things, she is over seven months pregnant with twins after all, but I will definitely be happy when this particular craving kicks the bucket. It'll be extremely pleasurable throwing out all the bags of Doritos once the twins arrive, hopefully very soon._

"_Bella, love, I **don't** think you smell but the chips do. It's nothing to do with how **you** smell. I promise."_

_Bella's eyes filled with tears and she gasped, "you just said I smell! You said it's nothing to do with how I-" sniffle "-smell!" Sam and Jake pegged it and left me to console their mom as she burst into loud wails and buried her face in my chest. I tried not to think about the fact that she was crushing cheesy Dorito disgusting-ness all over my shirt and rubbed her back soothingly._

"_It's ok, that's not what I meant. You smell delicious, Bella, like strawberries and apricots. You know I always love how you smell."_

_A few minutes later Bella managed to calm down. She leaned back and fixed me with a sheepish smile and rosy red cheeks. "Sorry. I lost it again." Nice of you to point it out, I thought to myself wryly but with deep affection. Even when she was screaming and yelling at me -another by-product of the hormones- she was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. I loved her even more and more each day, crazy hormones and all._

"_S'ok. I love you as much as the sun and the moon and the stars."_

_She sniffled and smiled radiantly, "I love you all that too." After a couple of moments to compose herself she sat back and sighed. "Please can you help me to the bathroom? I wanna clean up a bit."_

_I smiled, "of course. C'mon, Momma." It all went downhill from there. I stood before gently taking her hands. Then I pulled her up slowly to her feet, turning so lead her to the bathroom. Before my feet could move one step she cursed loudly and I heard a splashing sound. My first thought was that she'd been sick but when I turned she was just staring blankly at me. Our eyes moved down to the floor at the same time and landed on the puddle at her feet. Shit. "The babies are coming." It wasn't until a few weeks later Bella told me that I'd been the one who screamed right after her announcement, not her like I'd thought._

"Hey! Snap out of it, _Daddy_. We gotta go." My eyes snapped back to Bella as she held out my newest little son, Kade. His big green eyes were wide and focused on me as he clapped his hands and babbled quietly. At nearly seven months old he was quite the little chatterbox. Then again, so was his sister. I slipped Kade into his Babasling and looked up at Bella as she shifted Kade's twin sister Noelle into hers. Like Kade she had my green eyes but they both had Bella's dark, wavy brown hair. They were a perfect blend of us, just like Sam, Jake, Lizzie and Kenzers. "Sam! Lizzie! _Move it_!" Our two eldest flew down the stairs _finally _and we all headed for the front door. It was Christmas Eve and we had a nativity play to get to. This time last year I was in a cab rushing back for Lizzie's big debut as Mary. This year Mia was Mary, Jake was Joseph and most of my family's kids were in there somewhere. In fact, considering there aren't that many parts anyway the majority of the cast is our family. Jake, Mia, Landon, Jackson, Lizzie and Lily all have a part, Ali was the official costume director and Rose took over the group sometime in Spring, so she was the actual director. It was a right family affair really.

"There they are!" When we arrived at the community hall Ali, Jazz and Mom were waiting outside for us along with the newest Cullen-Whitlock baby. Isaac Whitlock arrived on November twenty ninth at thirty six weeks and he was the tiniest damn baby I'd ever seen, and that's including Kade and Noelle who were tiny enough when they were born. "Hey guys! You excited, Jakey? Lizzie?" Ali took my two little actors inside as quick as possible to get them backstage or whatever. The rest of us meandered inside once Mom had her fill of squidging the babies' cheeks and smothering them.

"Here Mom, you take Kade and I'll help Bella." Mom happily took her grandson and led Sam inside with Jazz whilst I took Noelle from Bella so _she_ could get Kenzers from the backseat and put her in her reins. She's almost two now and she has to walk everywhere. She scares the life out of me when we go shopping, I tell you. At this point I probably have more grey hair than copper.

"Thanks, baby. C'mon MacKenzie." Bella and I eventually manage to wrangle the last of our kids inside and find seats right in the front row. A little while later the show starts and we all cheer, clap, holler and whistle for the kids when they're delivering their lines. Jake cracks everyone up when he starts doing a Spanish accent halfway through, Lily accidentally trips over the manger and the 'baby' flies off the stage but it's perfectly chaotic and the best nativity I've ever seen bar none.

"Go fish!" I snicker and reach over to tug Jake into my side by slinging an arm around his shoulders. He grins up at me and struggles pathetically.

"Ger'off, _Dad_!" He giggles.

"Nah, don't think I will, buddy. And you can't just yell 'go fish' whenever you want." I started playing with the kids -Sam, Lizzie, Lily, Jake, Landon, Jackson and Mia- a while ago whilst Charlie, Dad and Mom took naps and Alice, Rose, Jazz, Em and Bella chilled out on the sofas. The kids had been all hyped up on energy and I'd decided to keep them busy for a bit. My little plan had flopped a bit though when Mia got bored five minutes in, closely followed by Sam and Landon. Now it was just Jake, Lizzie, Lily, Jackson and I sitting in a circle in the middle of the living room. Kenzers was happily running around playing peek-a-boo with her uncle Em and the twins were asleep in their pack n play over by the Christmas tree. Both of them were fascinated by the lights and if we wanted them to go to sleep all we had to do was walk them around in the living room for a bit and they'd drop right off.

"This game sucks anyway. Can we go outside and play in the snow?" Sam asked from the doorway.

Jake bounced up a down on the carpet, grinning toothily. "Ooh, snow! Can we Dad, can we?"

I huffed and opened my mouth, "I-"

Bella's soft, apologetic tone stopped me in my tracks and I turned towards her. "Um, Edward, darling?"

"Yes, Bella?" It was incredibly difficult to stifle my smile but I think I just about managed it. The look on her face told me exactly what she was about to ask for and although it disgusted me it also meant that we'd be outing ourselves to our family sooner than planned. Then again, it was Christmas. Apparently whoever's up-top likes making our Christmases hectic. "I'll be right back." Looking down at the kids I grinned, "get your boots and stuff on. You can play outside for a while before dinner, ok?" They all darted off so I got up and headed into the kitchen, returning with Bella's recently renewed stash. As soon as I stepped into the living room Em hooted, Rose gasped, Jazz cracked up laughing and Alice let out a squeal unlike anything I'd ever heard.

"Holy _shit_! Again!" Em eventually got himself under control and knelt infront of Bella, his enormous grin making me smile.

Bella blushed a little and took the chips from me with a grateful smile. "Um, yeah. We just found out last week and we weren't gonna say anything, but..." she trailed off with a shrug and started munching, me forcing back a wince as my sisters jumped up and slammed into me.

"You're gonna be a Daddy! _Again_!"

Wrapping my arms around Rose and Alice I chuckled somewhat nervously. It'd come as an enormous shock to Bella and I when she realized she was two months late. Disbelieving the startling evidence we got a whole array of tests the next morning and took them once the kids were all at school or asleep. Less than half an hour after we started it was confirmed. Baby Cullen number twelve was on his or her way. At the moment Bella was only eight weeks so we'd planned to wait until the twelve week mark to announce it but apparently the cravings were kicking in early this time around. It didn't bode well for me having to get over my hatred of the foul smelling chips and get through the next seven months of cravings, mood swings and kids driving me insane with questions. Looking around at my family, my parents and father-in-law joining us shortly after Alice's ridiculously loud squeal, I knew that I'd do this all over again in a heartbeat if it meant my family were happy.

The past year had been hectic with the arrival of Kade and Noelle, the relocation of Cullen Estate's main offices to Seattle and everything else that came with being part of a big family. I wouldn't change a thing though, except perhaps that the relocation had even been an issue; I should have realized how hurt my family was by my work schedule and done something about it sooner. Thankfully I had the best wife in the world and the most amazing family I could ever hope for and they helped me work everything out with a few not-so-gentle shoves in the right direction. I hated to think what would have become of me, of _us_, if Bella hadn't forgiven me last year and we weren't together now. It was impossible to imagine because I never would have let it happen. I never would either. In the summer next year Bella would be giving birth to our seventh child...shit, it's freaking scary just thinking that we'll have _seven children_. Some might say we're irresponsible to be having such a big family but we provide for them, love them all. Bella took a job teaching the middle school where the kids go and I run the family business. We work hard to support our growing family and no one could dare tell us otherwise.

Later, Bella and I tuck Noelle and Kade into their crib after a late night feed just as the clock downstairs dully strikes midnight. She smirks at me and wraps her arms around my waist as I lean down to press our foreheads together. "I love you, Mister Edward Cullen."

My lips turn up and press against her nose, making her sigh quietly. "I love you more, Mrs Edward Cullen."

Her hands lightly run up my sides and then onto my chest, her right one covering my thumping heart. For as long as we've known each other she's had this effect on me, even after almost twelve years of marriage. "I can't wait to marry you again tomorrow." My smile widens so much my cheeks start to hurt. When she suggested renewing our vows on Christmas day back in the spring I was hesitant. Of course she won me over, as she always does, and along with Mom, Charlie's girlfriend Sue Clearwater, Alice and Rose she's planned the 'perfect winter wedding'. Their words, although I'm sure it will be. We got married in the spring last time so it'll be different for sure, not least because we'll have eleven children there making up the wedding party. Six of which are ours. Sam and Jake are my best men, Lizzie, Lily and Mia are bridesmaids, Kenzers is a flower girl, Richard, Landon and Jackson are ushers and my little twins are the ring bearers. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. _What are they thinking_? Right? Well at first Bella didn't want to go overboard and we initially decided on a registry office do. Then the others got involved, Bella saw a flower girl dress she'd love on Kenzers and the plans all changed. I've done the husbandly thing and kept my mouth shut. If I've learned one thing during the last year of wedding planning it's to just go along with whatever Bella asks for.

The next morning my house is a whirlwind of activity; even more so than usual, anyway. From six 'til twelve we act as if the day is just a normal Christmas. Presents are opened, thanks are exchanged and laughter and whooping fills the house. Once all the paper is thrown in the trash Dad, Jazz, Em, Charlie, me and the boys are chucked out so the girls can get ready for our three o' clock slot at the church where I married Bella eleven years ago. The three hours pass quickly and I soon find myself suited and booted at the head of the church with Reverend Weber, Sam and Jake. Guests fill the pews, I'm hugged and kissed more times than I can count. And finally, _finally_, Dad sits at the organ to play the lullaby I wrote for Bella when I was fifteen for her birthday. Instead of having Charlie give her away like last time Bella opted to walk down the aisle alone with Lizzie, Lily, Kenzers and Mia infront of her and Rose carrying Kade and Noelle behind them. My eyes meet Bella's as she walks towards me and everything they'd done to decorate the church, the kids, her dress...it was all lost on me as her chocolate button eyes met my emerald ones and we said everything we needed to say in just a look. _I love you. I'll cherish you. You're my everything. Thank you for being mine_.

A little over an hour later Reverend Weber announced us Mr and Mrs Edward Cullen for the second time. Jake cheered and did a fist pump, yelling 'heck yeah!' much to the amusement of our guests. Kade cried until I took him from Rose and Bella took Noelle as we walked down the aisle surrounded by friends, family and our beautiful children. Stepping out into the cold air I looked at Bella just as the first snow of the year started to fall and decorate her simply curled hair. I grinned widely and leaned down to press my lips to hers, the cheers of our loved ones ringing out along with the church bells.

This is what life is all about.

* * *

><p><strong>I'd just like to say that Stephenie Meyer created Twilight and all associated characters. I take no credit, unfortunately.<strong>

**Thanks again everyone, you all rock and I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a great New Year!**


	7. The Last Goodbye (for now)

Dear readers,

So, with the chapter I just uploaded this is probably the end for Edward, Bella and their rather large family. I can't say for sure that there won't be a sequel or outtakes, because I'm a slave to the characters and they might just demand another little tale. Who knows. What I can promise is that this won't be the last you'll hear from me and I already have a couple of projects waiting in the wings as well as the story I'm unofficially beta'ing for a close friend of mine.

Head on over and check out _DaniDoLittle_'s _Thunderous Quiet_. You won't regret it. Tell Edley and Bells Poppy sent you and Dani has promised an outtake especially for BTS readers. What an angel she is.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who added this story to their alerts or fav's and reviewed. I hope the last chapter was as good as you all hoped and expected?

I'll be seeing you all soon I hope! You're all awesome,

Poppy xoxo


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